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Evangeline Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 79% of Evangeline Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 88% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 26%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 171 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 Evangeline Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 25.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 79.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 25.9% |
| Mapped soil | 435,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Mowata | 10% | n/a |
| Kinder | 10% | n/a |
| Crowley | 10% | n/a |
| Vidrine | 8% | n/a |
| Duralde | 5% | n/a |
| Glenmora | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA039 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 26% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 26% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 26% of Evangeline Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 79% of Evangeline 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: 49.64 in, 10.52 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 60.16 in.
USDA rates 83% 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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 18 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 | 84.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
171 flood losses since 2016, $5.3 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 75. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 81% slabs, 7% crawl spaces, 12% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 9 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 75 |
| 2017 | 46 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 36 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 60.16 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 49.64 in (-10.52) |
| 2025 | 55.28 in (-4.88) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1940: 84.79 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 35.66 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BUNKIE (21 mi away) | 19.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 14,577 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $124,600 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Parish, LA | 25 mi | 3% | 83% |
| St. Landry Parish, LA | 26 mi | 41% | 84% |
| Acadia Parish, LA | 30 mi | 21% | 97% |
| Rapides Parish, LA | 34 mi | 31% | 52% |
| Avoyelles Parish, LA | 36 mi | 55% | 68% |
| Jefferson Davis Parish, LA | 40 mi | 45% | 94% |
| Lafayette Parish, LA | 41 mi | 8% | 79% |
| Pointe Coupee Parish, LA | 47 mi | 20% | 73% |
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