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Clarke County, Mississippi
A shallow water table limits basements on 46% of Clarke County's mapped land, a higher share than 63% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 15%.
0.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 15.6% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 21 flood losses here since 2016. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Clarke County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 45.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 15.4% |
| Mapped soil | 443,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Smithdale | 21% | 0% |
| Sweatman | 9% | n/a |
| Bibb | 8% | n/a |
| Shubuta | 6% | n/a |
| Kirkville | 6% | n/a |
| Vaiden | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MS023 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.5% by land area here, and 15% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 15% of the mapped land.
On 46% of Clarke 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: 53.56 in, 4.38 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.94 in.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
21 flood losses since 2016, $649,541 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 13.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.94 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 53.56 in (-4.38) |
| 2025 | 50.07 in (-7.87) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1961: 83.82 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 34.95 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MERIDIAN KEY FLD (20 mi away) | 18.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,645 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 43% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $118,100 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale County, MS | 25 mi | 8% | 31% |
| Jasper County, MS | 25 mi | 15% | 48% |
| Choctaw County, AL | 26 mi | 10% | 35% |
| Wayne County, MS | 28 mi | 15% | 40% |
| Newton County, MS | 35 mi | 10% | 47% |
| Jones County, MS | 41 mi | 7% | 56% |
| Smith County, MS | 47 mi | 6% | 48% |
| Sumter County, AL | 48 mi | 37% | 62% |
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