Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 84% of Calcasieu Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 91% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 4,304 flood losses here since 2016, under 1% of them in buildings with basements. 41% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.
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 Calcasieu Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 18.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 83.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 28.9% |
| Mapped soil | 699,900 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Mowata | 11% | n/a |
| Edgerly | 9% | n/a |
| Guyton | 8% | n/a |
| Vidrine | 8% | n/a |
| Kinder | 7% | n/a |
| Prairieland | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA019 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and 29% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 18% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Calcasieu Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 84% of Calcasieu 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: 44.74 in, 16.47 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 61.21 in.
USDA rates 81% 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 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 16 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
4,304 flood losses since 2016, $183.7 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 1,731. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 85% slabs, 3% crawl spaces, 12% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 10 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 101 |
| 2017 | 638 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 139 |
| 2020 | 1,731 |
| 2021 | 1,633 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 20 |
| 2025 | 16 |
| 2026 to date | 9 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 61.21 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.74 in (-16.47) |
| 2025 | 52.22 in (-8.99) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2017: 88.20 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 32.53 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SULPHUR (1 mi away) | 21.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 95,523 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 41% |
| Built 2000 or later | 38% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $217,000 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Parish, LA | 27 mi | 38% | 72% |
| Beauregard Parish, LA | 29 mi | 10% | 76% |
| Jefferson Davis Parish, LA | 32 mi | 45% | 94% |
| Orange County, TX | 33 mi | 26% | 65% |
| Allen Parish, LA | 43 mi | 3% | 83% |
| Newton County, TX | 45 mi | 13% | 36% |
| Jasper County, TX | 54 mi | 15% | 43% |
| Jefferson County, TX | 54 mi | 56% | 66% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status