Wayne County, Illinois
A shallow water table limits basements on 94% of Wayne County's mapped land, a higher share than 98% of US counties and the 6th highest of 102 Illinois counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 26%.
99.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 19.1% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 58% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.
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 Wayne County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 26.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 94.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 96.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 47.4% |
| Mapped soil | 457,780 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bluford | 30% | 100% |
| Bonnie | 15% | n/a |
| Wynoose | 11% | n/a |
| Ava | 7% | n/a |
| Belknap | 7% | n/a |
| Passport | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IL191 (2025-08-31)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 47% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 26% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 99.9% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 26% of Wayne County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 94% of Wayne 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: 37.30 in, 9.09 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.39 in.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
99.9% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 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 | 99.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $1,968 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 46.39 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 37.30 in (-9.09) |
| 2025 | 43.05 in (-3.34) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 63.00 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1953: 27.95 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FAIRFIELD RADIO WFIW (7 mi away) | 11.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,680 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $110,700 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edwards County, IL | 21 mi | 21% | 92% |
| Clay County, IL | 22 mi | 44% | 91% |
| Hamilton County, IL | 25 mi | 23% | 95% |
| Richland County, IL | 27 mi | 44% | 93% |
| White County, IL | 28 mi | 12% | 75% |
| Jefferson County, IL | 28 mi | 26% | 87% |
| Marion County, IL | 30 mi | 40% | 89% |
| Wabash County, IL | 32 mi | 14% | 74% |
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