Fulton County, Indiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 64% of Fulton County's mapped land, a higher share than 77% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 9 flood losses here since 2016. 66% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1966.
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 Fulton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 63.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 237,709 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Crosier | 12% | n/a |
| Barry | 12% | n/a |
| Wawasee | 8% | n/a |
| Gilford | 7% | n/a |
| Metea | 6% | n/a |
| Ormas | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IN049 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
On 64% of Fulton 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: 39.65 in, 1.04 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 40.69 in.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% 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 66.8% of its area, in 10 weeks, most recently on the December 30, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
9 flood losses since 2016, $223,034 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 7.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 40.69 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 39.65 in (-1.04) |
| 2025 | 31.16 in (-9.53) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1990: 56.54 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1895: 27.09 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROCHESTER (3 mi away) | 9.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,584 |
| Median year built | 1966 |
| Built before 1980 | 66% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $156,500 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County, IN | 19 mi | 1% | 58% |
| Cass County, IN | 21 mi | 6% | 65% |
| Pulaski County, IN | 22 mi | 2% | 90% |
| Miami County, IN | 22 mi | 21% | 80% |
| Kosciusko County, IN | 25 mi | 5% | 52% |
| Starke County, IN | 26 mi | 0% | 84% |
| Wabash County, IN | 28 mi | 13% | 82% |
| Carroll County, IN | 36 mi | 5% | 71% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status