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Louisiana soil by county

Across Louisiana's mapped land, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 31% and a shallow water table limits basements on 67%.

Highest clay shares: Tensas Parish (75%), Madison Parish (72%), St. James Parish (68%), Assumption Parish (68%), Concordia Parish (65%). Highest water-table shares: Acadia Parish (97%), Jefferson Davis Parish (94%), West Carroll Parish (93%), St. James Parish (92%), Ascension Parish (91%).

Data as of September 22, 2026 · 64 parishes

Acadia Parish: 21%Allen Parish: 3%Ascension Parish: 46%Assumption Parish: 68%Avoyelles Parish: 55%Beauregard Parish: 10%Bienville Parish: 24%Bossier Parish: 47%Caddo Parish: 31%Calcasieu Parish: 18%Caldwell Parish: 25%Cameron Parish: 38%Catahoula Parish: 47%Claiborne Parish: 22%Concordia Parish: 65%De Soto Parish: 45%East Baton Rouge Parish: 7%East Carroll Parish: 56%East Feliciana Parish: 0%Evangeline Parish: 26%Franklin Parish: 21%Grant Parish: 22%Iberia Parish: 31%Iberville Parish: 54%Jackson Parish: 39%Jefferson Davis Parish: 45%Jefferson Parish: 27%Lafayette Parish: 8%Lafourche Parish: 42%LaSalle Parish: 18%Lincoln Parish: 8%Livingston Parish: 27%Madison Parish: 72%Morehouse Parish: 30%Natchitoches Parish: 50%Orleans Parish: 29%Ouachita Parish: 24%Plaquemines Parish: 20%Pointe Coupee Parish: 20%Rapides Parish: 31%Red River Parish: 29%Richland Parish: 27%Sabine Parish: 39%St. Bernard Parish: 30%St. Charles Parish: 44%St. Helena Parish: 0%St. James Parish: 68%St. John the Baptist Parish: 43%St. Landry Parish: 41%St. Martin Parish: 57%St. Mary Parish: 52%St. Tammany Parish: 4%Tangipahoa Parish: 2%Tensas Parish: 75%Terrebonne Parish: 34%Union Parish: 10%Vermilion Parish: 39%Vernon Parish: 22%Washington Parish: 0%Webster Parish: 20%West Baton Rouge Parish: 44%West Carroll Parish: 13%West Feliciana Parish: 14%Winn Parish: 37%
Expansive clay: share of mapped land where shrink-swell clay limits houses without basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+
Acadia Parish: 97%Allen Parish: 83%Ascension Parish: 91%Assumption Parish: 88%Avoyelles Parish: 68%Beauregard Parish: 76%Bienville Parish: 54%Bossier Parish: 58%Caddo Parish: 50%Calcasieu Parish: 84%Caldwell Parish: 65%Cameron Parish: 72%Catahoula Parish: 70%Claiborne Parish: 28%Concordia Parish: 83%De Soto Parish: 46%East Baton Rouge Parish: 72%East Carroll Parish: 83%East Feliciana Parish: 67%Evangeline Parish: 79%Franklin Parish: 83%Grant Parish: 35%Iberia Parish: 84%Iberville Parish: 88%Jackson Parish: 63%Jefferson Davis Parish: 94%Jefferson Parish: 44%Lafayette Parish: 79%Lafourche Parish: 74%LaSalle Parish: 52%Lincoln Parish: 36%Livingston Parish: 86%Madison Parish: 89%Morehouse Parish: 79%Natchitoches Parish: 61%Orleans Parish: 37%Ouachita Parish: 54%Plaquemines Parish: 39%Pointe Coupee Parish: 73%Rapides Parish: 52%Red River Parish: 51%Richland Parish: 74%Sabine Parish: 51%St. Bernard Parish: 47%St. Charles Parish: 63%St. Helena Parish: 66%St. James Parish: 92%St. John the Baptist Parish: 61%St. Landry Parish: 84%St. Martin Parish: 84%St. Mary Parish: 80%St. Tammany Parish: 67%Tangipahoa Parish: 73%Tensas Parish: 89%Terrebonne Parish: 65%Union Parish: 48%Vermilion Parish: 82%Vernon Parish: 51%Washington Parish: 51%Webster Parish: 47%West Baton Rouge Parish: 81%West Carroll Parish: 93%West Feliciana Parish: 45%Winn Parish: 81%
High water table: share of mapped land where a shallow water table limits basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

Every parishe in Louisiana

Select a column heading to sort.
Acadia Parish 21% 97% 100% 754 1980
Allen Parish 3% 83% 100% 123 1983
Ascension Parish 46% 91% 9% 4,359 2002
Assumption Parish 68% 88% 0% 64 1983
Avoyelles Parish 55% 68% 100% 252 1980
Beauregard Parish 10% 76% 91% 106 1992
Bienville Parish 24% 54% 100% 6 1979
Bossier Parish 47% 58% 100% 379 1991
Caddo Parish 31% 50% 100% 404 1975
Calcasieu Parish 18% 84% 100% 4,304 1989
Caldwell Parish 25% 65% 100% 84 1986
Cameron Parish 38% 72% 99% 633 2005
Catahoula Parish 47% 70% 100% 210 1980
Claiborne Parish 22% 28% 100% 49 1974
Concordia Parish 65% 83% 100% 53 1977
De Soto Parish 45% 46% 100% 9 1990
East Baton Rouge Parish 7% 72% 100% 13,745 1984
East Carroll Parish 56% 83% 100% 19 1974
East Feliciana Parish under 1% 67% 100% 32 1989
Evangeline Parish 26% 79% 100% 171 1980
Franklin Parish 21% 83% 100% 34 1978
Grant Parish 22% 35% 100% 86 1988
Iberia Parish 31% 84% 90% 616 1982
Iberville Parish 54% 88% 90% 190 1986
Jackson Parish 39% 63% 100% 2 1979
Jefferson Davis Parish 45% 94% 100% 176 1980
Jefferson Parish 27% 44% 62% 5,852 1975
LaSalle Parish 18% 52% 100% 56 1983
Lafayette Parish 8% 79% 100% 3,430 1988
Lafourche Parish 42% 74% 51% 1,046 1982
Lincoln Parish 8% 36% 100% 9 1984
Livingston Parish 27% 86% 43% 8,475 2002
Madison Parish 72% 89% 100% 40 1975
Morehouse Parish 30% 79% 100% 123 1977
Natchitoches Parish 50% 61% 100% 153 1984
Orleans Parish 29% 37% 91% 4,905 1960
Ouachita Parish 24% 54% 100% 1,990 1983
Plaquemines Parish 20% 39% 100% 451 1997
Pointe Coupee Parish 20% 73% 100% 284 1985
Rapides Parish 31% 52% 100% 715 1980
Red River Parish 29% 51% 100% 5 1981
Richland Parish 27% 74% 100% 144 1979
Sabine Parish 39% 51% 100% 18 1986
St. Bernard Parish 30% 47% 100% 285 1981
St. Charles Parish 44% 63% 19% 1,631 1986
St. Helena Parish 0% 66% 100% 37 1987
St. James Parish 68% 92% 0% 120 1985
St. John the Baptist Parish 43% 61% 0% 4,013 1984
St. Landry Parish 41% 84% 100% 371 1980
St. Martin Parish 57% 84% 74% 551 1986
St. Mary Parish 52% 80% 19% 324 1976
St. Tammany Parish 4% 67% 9% 4,416 1995
Tangipahoa Parish 2% 73% 50% 2,841 1993
Tensas Parish 75% 89% 100% 0 1972
Terrebonne Parish 34% 65% 4% 846 1983
Union Parish 10% 48% 100% 160 1987
Vermilion Parish 39% 82% 100% 1,155 1983
Vernon Parish 22% 51% 100% 132 1988
Washington Parish under 1% 51% 81% 257 1982
Webster Parish 20% 47% 100% 71 1973
West Baton Rouge Parish 44% 81% 100% 106 1993
West Carroll Parish 13% 93% 100% 26 1978
West Feliciana Parish 14% 45% 100% 52 1991
Winn Parish 37% 81% 100% 18 1978

How these shares are counted

Shares are of mapped land in USDA's soil survey (SSURGO), weighted by each soil's share of every map unit. Drought is the US Drought Monitor's D1-or-worse share on the September 22, 2026 map. Flood losses are FEMA NFIP records since 2016. Sources and methods.