HomeLouisianaWest Baton Rouge Parish
West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 81% of West Baton Rouge Parish's mapped land, a higher share than 90% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 44%.
75.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 106 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 33% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
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 West Baton Rouge Parish
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 43.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 81.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 11.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 46.1% |
| Mapped soil | 129,700 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Sharkey | 40% | 99% |
| Commerce | 33% | n/a |
| Robinsonville | 5% | n/a |
| Tunica | 4% | n/a |
| Convent | 3% | n/a |
| Bruin | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas LA121 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 11.5% by land area here, and 46% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 44% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 75.9% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 44% of West Baton Rouge Parish's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 81% of West Baton Rouge 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: 61.79 in, 0.32 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 62.11 in.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
75.9% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 12 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 75.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
106 flood losses since 2016, $5.9 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 26. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 93% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 2% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 26 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 12 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 18 |
| 2022 | 11 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 22 |
| 2026 to date | 7 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 62.11 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 61.79 in (-0.32) |
| 2025 | 58.66 in (-3.45) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2021: 82.42 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 35.54 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PORT ALLEN (6 mi away) | 21.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 12,057 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 33% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $229,900 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iberville Parish, LA | 14 mi | 54% | 88% |
| East Baton Rouge Parish, LA | 14 mi | 7% | 72% |
| Pointe Coupee Parish, LA | 24 mi | 20% | 73% |
| West Feliciana Parish, LA | 29 mi | 14% | 45% |
| Ascension Parish, LA | 30 mi | 46% | 91% |
| St. Martin Parish, LA | 30 mi | 57% | 84% |
| East Feliciana Parish, LA | 30 mi | under 1% | 67% |
| Livingston Parish, LA | 35 mi | 27% | 86% |
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