Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 68% of Avoyelles Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 80% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 55%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 252 flood losses here since 2016, 0% 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 Avoyelles Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 54.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 68.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 57.0% |
| Mapped soil | 553,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Moreland | 21% | n/a |
| Sharkey | 16% | 99% |
| Coushatta | 12% | n/a |
| Latanier | 6% | n/a |
| Tensas | 5% | n/a |
| Roxana | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA009 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.3% by land area here, and 57% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 55% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 55% of Avoyelles Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 68% of Avoyelles 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: 48.20 in, 10.86 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 59.06 in.
USDA rates 75% 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 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 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 | 74.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
252 flood losses since 2016, $9.6 million paid. The worst year was 2026, with 93. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 77% slabs, 9% crawl spaces, 14% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 11 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 50 |
| 2017 | 62 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 27 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 93 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 59.06 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 48.20 in (-10.86) |
| 2025 | 53.79 in (-5.27) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1991: 79.02 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 34.55 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at RED RIVER LOCK #1 (12 mi away) | 14.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 18,381 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $122,400 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapides Parish, LA | 33 mi | 31% | 52% |
| Concordia Parish, LA | 34 mi | 65% | 83% |
| Pointe Coupee Parish, LA | 35 mi | 20% | 73% |
| St. Landry Parish, LA | 35 mi | 41% | 84% |
| Evangeline Parish, LA | 36 mi | 26% | 79% |
| West Feliciana Parish, LA | 36 mi | 14% | 45% |
| Wilkinson County, MS | 39 mi | 20% | 45% |
| Catahoula Parish, LA | 41 mi | 47% | 70% |
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