Pemiscot County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 89% of Pemiscot County's mapped land, a higher share than 95% of US counties and the 8th highest of 115 Missouri counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 41%.
78% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 65% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Pemiscot County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 41.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 88.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 9.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 47.1% |
| Mapped soil | 339,603 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Sharkey | 33% | 99% |
| Commerce | 17% | n/a |
| Dundee | 9% | n/a |
| Hayti | 9% | n/a |
| Crevasse | 5% | n/a |
| Portageville | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO155 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 9.8% by land area here, and 47% 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: 78% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 41% of Pemiscot County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 89% of Pemiscot County'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: 33.83 in, 16.35 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.18 in.
USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
78% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 78% |
| D2 severe or worse | 15.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
7 flood losses since 2016, $188,784 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.18 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.83 in (-16.35) |
| 2025 | 50.01 in (-0.17) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 77.68 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 26.49 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SAINT FRANCIS (26 mi away) | 15.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,501 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 56% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $97,000 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunklin County, MO | 16 mi | 29% | 73% |
| Lake County, TN | 19 mi | 29% | 78% |
| Dyer County, TN | 24 mi | 16% | 79% |
| New Madrid County, MO | 28 mi | 35% | 84% |
| Lauderdale County, TN | 32 mi | 15% | 56% |
| Mississippi County, AR | 34 mi | 52% | 84% |
| Clay County, AR | 37 mi | 21% | 81% |
| Obion County, TN | 37 mi | 1% | 66% |
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