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Livingston Parish, Louisiana

A shallow water table limits basements on 86% of Livingston Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 93% of US counties and the 10th highest of 64 Louisiana counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 8,475 flood losses here since 2016, under 1% of them in buildings with basements. 18% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2002.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

27%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

86%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

18%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Livingston Parish

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)26.5%
High water table (limits basements)85.8%
Septic fields very limited84.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.9%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)32.1%
Mapped soil448,000 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Satsuma11%n/a
Gilbert10%n/a
Colyell8%n/a
Barbary8%n/a
Springfield7%n/a
Myatt7%n/a
Ascension Parish: 91%Tangipahoa Parish: 73%East Baton Rouge Parish: 72%St. John the Baptist Parish: 61%St. Helena Parish: 66%St. James Parish: 92%East Feliciana Parish: 67%West Baton Rouge Parish: 81%Livingston Parish AscensionTangipahoaEast Baton RougeSt. John the BaptistSt. HelenaSt. JamesEast FelicianaWest Baton RougeLivingston
Livingston Parish (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas LA063 (2025-09-05)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.9% by land area here, and 32% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 27% of Livingston Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

On 86% of Livingston 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: 63.67 in, 1.23 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 64.90 in.

USDA rates 85% 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 30 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, on the October 13, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse100%
D2 severe or worse7.5%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

8,475 flood losses since 2016, $753.9 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 7,870. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 77% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 21% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 25 in.

YearFlood losses
20167,870
201734
20187
2019174
202022
2021338
20227
20239
20246
20255
2026 to date3

Rain

Average year, 1991-202064.90 in
12 months to August 202663.67 in (-1.23)
202551.84 in (-13.06)
Wettest year since 18952021: 95.89 in
Driest year since 18951924: 39.11 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LIVINGSTON (6 mi away)21.5

Homes

Housing units59,981
Median year built2002
Built before 198018%
Built 2000 or later54%
Owner-occupied81%
Median value, owner-occupied$230,600
Single-family detached68%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Ascension Parish, LA 20 mi 46% 91%
Tangipahoa Parish, LA 23 mi 2% 73%
East Baton Rouge Parish, LA 23 mi 7% 72%
St. John the Baptist Parish, LA 25 mi 43% 61%
St. Helena Parish, LA 26 mi 0% 66%
St. James Parish, LA 29 mi 68% 92%
East Feliciana Parish, LA 33 mi under 1% 67%
West Baton Rouge Parish, LA 35 mi 44% 81%

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