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Washington Parish, Louisiana

A shallow water table limits basements on 51% of Washington Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 67% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.

47% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 257 flood losses here since 2016, 0% 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

<1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

51%

high water table: limits basements

47%

in drought, October 13, 2026

47%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Washington Parish

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.2%
High water table (limits basements)51.3%
Septic fields very limited73.1%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.4%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.2%
Mapped soil432,400 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Savannah23%n/a
Ruston20%n/a
Smithdale11%0%
Myatt7%n/a
Ouachita6%n/a
Bibb5%n/a
Walthall County: 49%Tangipahoa Parish: 73%Pearl River County: 59%Marion County: 37%Pike County: 71%St. Tammany Parish: 67%St. Helena Parish: 66%Lamar County: 38%Washington Parish WalthallTangipahoaPearl RiverMarionPikeSt. TammanySt. HelenaLamarWashington
Washington 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 LA117 (2025-08-29)

What the numbers mean here

On 51% of Washington 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: 55.82 in, 9.38 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 65.20 in.

USDA rates 73% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

47% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the April 28, 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 worse47%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

257 flood losses since 2016, $10.8 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 178. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 62% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 34% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 26 in.

YearFlood losses
2016178
20173
201846
20197
20201
202114
20223
20231
20241
20250
2026 to date3

Rain

Average year, 1991-202065.20 in
12 months to August 202655.82 in (-9.38)
202547.96 in (-17.24)
Wettest year since 18951961: 94.01 in
Driest year since 18951924: 37.81 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ABITA SPRINGS FIRE TWR (29 mi away)21.8

Homes

Housing units21,439
Median year built1982
Built before 198047%
Built 2000 or later26%
Owner-occupied69%
Median value, owner-occupied$155,700
Single-family detached66%

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
Walthall County, MS 22 mi under 1% 49%
Tangipahoa Parish, LA 27 mi 2% 73%
Pearl River County, MS 28 mi 3% 59%
Marion County, MS 29 mi 3% 37%
Pike County, MS 31 mi 0% 71%
St. Tammany Parish, LA 31 mi 4% 67%
St. Helena Parish, LA 39 mi 0% 66%
Lamar County, MS 40 mi 8% 38%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status