Iberia Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 84% of Iberia Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 91% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 31%.
98.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 82.6% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 616 flood losses here since 2016, under 1% of them in buildings with basements. 47% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.
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 Iberia Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 31.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 83.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 76.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 31.4% |
| Mapped soil | 403,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Fausse | 13% | n/a |
| Jeanerette | 12% | n/a |
| Lafitte | 10% | n/a |
| Schriever | 6% | n/a |
| Maurepas | 5% | n/a |
| Baldwin | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA045 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.9% by land area here, and 31% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 31% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 98.1% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 31% of Iberia Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 84% of Iberia 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: 48.78 in, 13.24 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 62.02 in.
USDA rates 76% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
98.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 30 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the April 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 98.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 34.6% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
616 flood losses since 2016, $25.0 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 392. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 72% slabs, 7% crawl spaces, 21% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 11 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 392 |
| 2017 | 22 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 40 |
| 2020 | 80 |
| 2021 | 28 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 40 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 62.02 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 48.78 in (-13.24) |
| 2025 | 56.38 in (-5.64) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1946: 84.29 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 38.35 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FRANKLIN 3 NW (23 mi away) | 21.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 31,344 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 47% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $164,500 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary Parish, LA | 23 mi | 52% | 80% |
| Vermilion Parish, LA | 32 mi | 39% | 82% |
| St. Martin Parish, LA | 38 mi | 57% | 84% |
| Lafayette Parish, LA | 44 mi | 8% | 79% |
| Assumption Parish, LA | 51 mi | 68% | 88% |
| Iberville Parish, LA | 54 mi | 54% | 88% |
| Acadia Parish, LA | 58 mi | 21% | 97% |
| Terrebonne Parish, LA | 63 mi | 34% | 65% |
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