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Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 73% of Pointe Coupee Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 84% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 284 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.
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 Pointe Coupee Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 20.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 73.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 20.7% |
| Mapped soil | 335,079 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Commerce | 44% | n/a |
| Sharkey | 18% | 99% |
| Robinsonville | 6% | n/a |
| Convent | 5% | n/a |
| Bruin | 5% | n/a |
| Dowling | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA077 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.1% by land area here, and 21% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 20% of Pointe Coupee Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 73% of Pointe Coupee 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: 58.29 in, 2.69 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 60.98 in.
USDA rates 75% 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 39 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 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 | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
284 flood losses since 2016, $9.9 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 183. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 47% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 51% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 14 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 183 |
| 2017 | 50 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 16 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 to date | 6 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 60.98 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 58.29 in (-2.69) |
| 2025 | 58.18 in (-2.80) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 77.73 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 35.09 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEW ROADS 5 NE (14 mi away) | 18.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,096 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 40% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $179,300 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Feliciana Parish, LA | 16 mi | 14% | 45% |
| West Baton Rouge Parish, LA | 24 mi | 44% | 81% |
| St. Landry Parish, LA | 24 mi | 41% | 84% |
| East Baton Rouge Parish, LA | 32 mi | 7% | 72% |
| Iberville Parish, LA | 33 mi | 54% | 88% |
| East Feliciana Parish, LA | 35 mi | under 1% | 67% |
| Avoyelles Parish, LA | 35 mi | 55% | 68% |
| Wilkinson County, MS | 35 mi | 20% | 45% |
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