Cameron Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 72% of Cameron Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 83% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 38%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 98.6% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 633 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 14% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2005.
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 Cameron Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 37.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 72.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 67.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 11.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 41.4% |
| Mapped soil | 1,056,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Allemands | 13% | n/a |
| Bancker | 12% | n/a |
| Creole | 10% | n/a |
| Clovelly | 7% | n/a |
| Scatlake | 6% | n/a |
| Ged | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA023 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 11.3% by land area here, and 41% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 38% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 38% of Cameron Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 72% of Cameron 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: 45.42 in, 15.17 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 60.59 in.
USDA rates 67% 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 3 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 | 74.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
633 flood losses since 2016, $39.1 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 617. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 14% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 84% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 77 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 617 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 60.59 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 45.42 in (-15.17) |
| 2025 | 52.96 in (-7.63) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2017: 81.83 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 30.79 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LAKE CHARLES (18 mi away) | 19.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,463 |
| Median year built | 2005 |
| Built before 1980 | 14% |
| Built 2000 or later | 63% |
| Owner-occupied | 95% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $202,500 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | 27 mi | 18% | 84% |
| Jefferson Davis Parish, LA | 34 mi | 45% | 94% |
| Orange County, TX | 47 mi | 26% | 65% |
| Vermilion Parish, LA | 51 mi | 39% | 82% |
| Acadia Parish, LA | 54 mi | 21% | 97% |
| Beauregard Parish, LA | 55 mi | 10% | 76% |
| Allen Parish, LA | 58 mi | 3% | 83% |
| Jefferson County, TX | 59 mi | 56% | 66% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status