Lawrence County, Illinois
A shallow water table limits basements on 78% of Lawrence County's mapped land, a higher share than 87% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23%.
68% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 72% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1963.
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 Lawrence County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 77.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 30.2% |
| Mapped soil | 239,495 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bluford | 12% | 100% |
| Ava | 12% | n/a |
| Carmi | 9% | n/a |
| Belknap | 6% | n/a |
| Darwin | 5% | n/a |
| Patton | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IL101 (2025-08-31)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 30% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 68% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of Lawrence County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 78% of Lawrence 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: 44.83 in, 1.83 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.66 in.
USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
68% 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 5 weeks, most recently on the March 3, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 68% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
7 flood losses since 2016, $139,371 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 5.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 46.66 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.83 in (-1.83) |
| 2025 | 47.52 in (+0.86) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 63.20 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1953: 28.20 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at VINCENNES 5 NE (13 mi away) | 12.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,407 |
| Median year built | 1963 |
| Built before 1980 | 72% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $99,100 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County, IN | 17 mi | 8% | 46% |
| Richland County, IL | 19 mi | 44% | 93% |
| Crawford County, IL | 20 mi | 43% | 81% |
| Wabash County, IL | 20 mi | 14% | 74% |
| Edwards County, IL | 27 mi | 21% | 92% |
| Gibson County, IN | 29 mi | 4% | 62% |
| Jasper County, IL | 30 mi | 51% | 89% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 31 mi | 2% | 61% |
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