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St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 84% of St. Landry Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 92% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 41%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 371 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 49% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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. Landry Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 41.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 84.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 9.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 41.2% |
| Mapped soil | 601,000 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Sharkey | 17% | 99% |
| Gallion | 9% | n/a |
| Lebeau | 9% | n/a |
| Baldwin | 7% | n/a |
| Frost | 6% | n/a |
| Patoutville | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA097 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 9.4% by land area here, and 41% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 41% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 41% of St. Landry Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 84% of St. Landry 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: 52.70 in, 8.52 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 61.22 in.
USDA rates 78% 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 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 15 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 | 11.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
371 flood losses since 2016, $13.6 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 305. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 68% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 27% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 6 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 305 |
| 2017 | 15 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 13 |
| 2020 | 13 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 6 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 61.22 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 52.70 in (-8.52) |
| 2025 | 60.89 in (-0.33) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1940: 82.04 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 34.75 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OPELOUSAS (8 mi away) | 21.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 37,229 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 49% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $142,500 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pointe Coupee Parish, LA | 24 mi | 20% | 73% |
| Evangeline Parish, LA | 26 mi | 26% | 79% |
| Lafayette Parish, LA | 26 mi | 8% | 79% |
| Acadia Parish, LA | 32 mi | 21% | 97% |
| Avoyelles Parish, LA | 35 mi | 55% | 68% |
| St. Martin Parish, LA | 39 mi | 57% | 84% |
| West Feliciana Parish, LA | 39 mi | 14% | 45% |
| West Baton Rouge Parish, LA | 41 mi | 44% | 81% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status