Fayette County, Illinois
A shallow water table limits basements on 81% of Fayette County's mapped land, a higher share than 90% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 35%.
54.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 64% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1972.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Fayette County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 35.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 81.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 50.9% |
| Mapped soil | 464,610 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bluford | 17% | 100% |
| Hickory | 12% | n/a |
| Hoyleton | 11% | n/a |
| Cisne | 10% | n/a |
| Wakeland | 8% | n/a |
| Ava | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IL051 (2025-08-31)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 51% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 35% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 54.2% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 35% of Fayette County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 81% of Fayette County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 37.94 in, 5.49 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 43.43 in.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
54.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 weeks, most recently on the February 10, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 54.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Fayette County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 43.43 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 37.94 in (-5.49) |
| 2025 | 37.58 in (-5.85) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 56.63 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1953: 25.81 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at RAMSEY (11 mi away) | 11.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,808 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 64% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $130,700 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effingham County, IL | 23 mi | 43% | 87% |
| Bond County, IL | 24 mi | 47% | 86% |
| Marion County, IL | 25 mi | 40% | 89% |
| Shelby County, IL | 29 mi | 38% | 82% |
| Montgomery County, IL | 29 mi | 68% | 88% |
| Clay County, IL | 34 mi | 44% | 91% |
| Clinton County, IL | 35 mi | 44% | 88% |
| Christian County, IL | 40 mi | 72% | 86% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 31, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status