Grant Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 35% of Grant Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 54% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 86 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 35% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
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 Grant Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 35.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 25.2% |
| Mapped soil | 425,000 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Smithdale | 15% | 0% |
| Ruston | 15% | n/a |
| Cadeville | 9% | n/a |
| Guyton | 7% | n/a |
| Malbis | 7% | n/a |
| Glenmora | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA043 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.6% by land area here, and 25% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 22% of Grant Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 35% of Grant 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: 48.05 in, 11.00 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 59.05 in.
USDA rates 79% 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 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 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
86 flood losses since 2016, $2.4 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 55. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 38% slabs, 31% crawl spaces, 31% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 33.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 55 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 59.05 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 48.05 in (-11.00) |
| 2025 | 51.79 in (-7.26) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2024: 81.10 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 33.76 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BOYCE 3 WNW (17 mi away) | 19.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,111 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 35% |
| Built 2000 or later | 35% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $143,300 |
| Single-family detached | 62% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winn Parish, LA | 24 mi | 37% | 81% |
| LaSalle Parish, LA | 24 mi | 18% | 52% |
| Rapides Parish, LA | 28 mi | 31% | 52% |
| Natchitoches Parish, LA | 32 mi | 50% | 61% |
| Catahoula Parish, LA | 42 mi | 47% | 70% |
| Caldwell Parish, LA | 44 mi | 25% | 65% |
| Jackson Parish, LA | 49 mi | 39% | 63% |
| Avoyelles Parish, LA | 49 mi | 55% | 68% |
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