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Calhoun County, Mississippi

A shallow water table limits basements on 69% of Calhoun County's mapped land, a higher share than 81% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 11%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 97.8% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 9 flood losses here since 2016. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

11%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

69%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

50%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Calhoun County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)11.2%
High water table (limits basements)68.8%
Septic fields very limited98.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)3.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)11.7%
Mapped soil376,500 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Dulac18%n/a
Falaya17%n/a
Cuthbert14%0%
Ruston7%n/a
Chastain6%n/a
Waverly5%n/a
Yalobusha County: 55%Chickasaw County: 86%Webster County: 71%Pontotoc County: 77%Grenada County: 53%Lafayette County: 33%Montgomery County: 61%Clay County: 83%Calhoun County YalobushaChickasawWebsterPontotocGrenadaLafayetteMontgomeryClayCalhoun
Calhoun County (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 MS013 (2025-09-04)

What the numbers mean here

On 69% of Calhoun 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: 38.05 in, 19.54 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.59 in.

USDA rates 99% 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 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 19 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 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 worse100%
D2 severe or worse72.9%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

9 flood losses since 2016, $540,694 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 5.

YearFlood losses
20160
20172
20181
20191
20200
20215
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202057.59 in
12 months to August 202638.05 in (-19.54)
202551.18 in (-6.41)
Wettest year since 18951991: 77.54 in
Driest year since 18951981: 34.11 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CALHOUN CITY (6 mi away)19.1

Homes

Housing units6,750
Median year built1980
Built before 198050%
Built 2000 or later17%
Owner-occupied72%
Median value, owner-occupied$90,300
Single-family detached74%

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
Yalobusha County, MS 22 mi 2% 55%
Chickasaw County, MS 22 mi 31% 86%
Webster County, MS 23 mi 13% 71%
Pontotoc County, MS 26 mi 30% 77%
Grenada County, MS 29 mi 4% 53%
Lafayette County, MS 30 mi 14% 33%
Montgomery County, MS 35 mi 1% 61%
Clay County, MS 37 mi 46% 83%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status