Marion County, Illinois
A shallow water table limits basements on 89% of Marion County's mapped land, a higher share than 95% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 40%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 67.5% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 62% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Marion County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 39.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 89.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 52.2% |
| Mapped soil | 368,685 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Cisne | 15% | n/a |
| Hoyleton | 14% | n/a |
| Bluford | 14% | 100% |
| Hickory | 7% | n/a |
| Passport | 7% | n/a |
| Huey | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IL121 (2025-08-31)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and 52% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 40% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 40% of Marion County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 89% of Marion 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: 40.13 in, 4.54 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.67 in.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% 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 12 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $13,861 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.67 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.13 in (-4.54) |
| 2025 | 44.74 in (+0.07) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 57.98 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1953: 26.54 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SALEM (1 mi away) | 12.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 17,334 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 62% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $103,000 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, IL | 24 mi | 26% | 87% |
| Clay County, IL | 25 mi | 44% | 91% |
| Fayette County, IL | 25 mi | 35% | 81% |
| Clinton County, IL | 27 mi | 44% | 88% |
| Wayne County, IL | 30 mi | 26% | 94% |
| Bond County, IL | 32 mi | 47% | 86% |
| Effingham County, IL | 33 mi | 43% | 87% |
| Washington County, IL | 34 mi | 36% | 91% |
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