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St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 47% of St. Bernard Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 64% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 285 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 49% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 St. Bernard Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 29.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 47.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 45.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 14.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 30.5% |
| Mapped soil | 477,800 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Scatlake | 11% | n/a |
| Clovelly | 10% | n/a |
| Lafitte | 7% | n/a |
| Timbalier | 6% | n/a |
| Bellpass | 3% | n/a |
| Fausse | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA087 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 14.9% by land area here, and 30% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
On 47% of St. Bernard 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: 56.44 in, 6.14 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 62.58 in.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 17 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 99.6% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
285 flood losses since 2016, $2.4 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 179. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 70% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 26% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 22 |
| 2020 | 37 |
| 2021 | 179 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 13 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 62.58 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 56.44 in (-6.14) |
| 2025 | 54.06 in (-8.52) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1991: 97.63 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 38.18 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WAVELAND (27 mi away) | 20.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 18,248 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 49% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $202,500 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, MS | 35 mi | 2% | 90% |
| Harrison County, MS | 36 mi | 1% | 76% |
| Orleans Parish, LA | 41 mi | 29% | 37% |
| Plaquemines Parish, LA | 48 mi | 20% | 39% |
| Jackson County, MS | 53 mi | 0% | 69% |
| St. Tammany Parish, LA | 53 mi | 4% | 67% |
| Jefferson Parish, LA | 54 mi | 27% | 44% |
| Stone County, MS | 61 mi | 10% | 33% |
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