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Chickasaw County, Mississippi
A shallow water table limits basements on 86% of Chickasaw County's mapped land, a higher share than 93% of US counties and the 9th highest of 82 Mississippi counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 31%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 63.6% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 54% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Chickasaw County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 31.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 86.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 32.8% |
| Mapped soil | 320,754 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Kipling | 11% | n/a |
| Falkner | 8% | n/a |
| Adaton | 7% | n/a |
| Smithdale | 6% | 0% |
| Ora | 6% | n/a |
| Arkabutla | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MS017 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 33% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 31% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 31% of Chickasaw County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 86% of Chickasaw 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: 39.63 in, 17.29 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 56.92 in.
USDA rates 96% 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 28 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 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 | 12.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 56.92 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 39.63 in (-17.29) |
| 2025 | 52.32 in (-4.60) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1991: 79.43 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1943: 33.00 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PONTOTOC EXP STN (14 mi away) | 18.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,851 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $109,800 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pontotoc County, MS | 21 mi | 30% | 77% |
| Clay County, MS | 21 mi | 46% | 83% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 22 mi | 11% | 69% |
| Monroe County, MS | 27 mi | 28% | 72% |
| Lee County, MS | 29 mi | 28% | 61% |
| Webster County, MS | 29 mi | 13% | 71% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 36 mi | 43% | 80% |
| Union County, MS | 39 mi | 9% | 50% |
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