Acadia Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 97% of Acadia Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 99% of US counties and the highest of 64 Louisiana counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 21%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 754 flood losses here since 2016, under 1% of them in buildings with basements. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Acadia Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 20.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 96.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.0% |
| Mapped soil | 420,400 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Crowley | 30% | n/a |
| Patoutville | 13% | n/a |
| Kinder | 9% | n/a |
| Jeanerette | 7% | n/a |
| Midland | 7% | n/a |
| Acadiana | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA001 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and 22% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 21% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 21% of Acadia Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 97% of Acadia Parish'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: 49.68 in, 12.07 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 61.75 in.
USDA rates 86% 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 39 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 13 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
754 flood losses since 2016, $27.9 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 639. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 68% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 27% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 639 |
| 2017 | 15 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 70 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 61.75 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 49.68 in (-12.07) |
| 2025 | 59.88 in (-1.87) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1940: 90.18 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 36.03 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CROWLEY 2 NE (5 mi away) | 19.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 25,107 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $155,500 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Parish, LA | 21 mi | 8% | 79% |
| Jefferson Davis Parish, LA | 24 mi | 45% | 94% |
| Evangeline Parish, LA | 30 mi | 26% | 79% |
| St. Landry Parish, LA | 32 mi | 41% | 84% |
| Vermilion Parish, LA | 34 mi | 39% | 82% |
| Allen Parish, LA | 35 mi | 3% | 83% |
| St. Martin Parish, LA | 49 mi | 57% | 84% |
| Cameron Parish, LA | 54 mi | 38% | 72% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status