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Clay County, Mississippi
A shallow water table limits basements on 83% of Clay County's mapped land, a higher share than 91% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 46%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 99% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 34 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Clay County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 46.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 83.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 97.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 43.8% |
| Mapped soil | 265,900 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Leeper | 12% | n/a |
| Kipling | 11% | n/a |
| Ora | 10% | n/a |
| Prentiss | 10% | n/a |
| Belden | 5% | n/a |
| Griffith | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MS025 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.4% by land area here, and 44% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 46% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 46% of Clay County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 83% of Clay 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: 42.24 in, 14.04 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 56.28 in.
USDA rates 97% 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 27 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 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 | 13.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
34 flood losses since 2016, $578,739 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 23. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 8% slabs, 92% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 26.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 23 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 56.28 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.24 in (-14.04) |
| 2025 | 53.34 in (-2.94) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 84.39 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1943: 33.11 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at STATE UNIV (13 mi away) | 19.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,052 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $129,100 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 17 mi | 43% | 80% |
| Chickasaw County, MS | 21 mi | 31% | 86% |
| Monroe County, MS | 23 mi | 28% | 72% |
| Lowndes County, MS | 24 mi | 41% | 66% |
| Webster County, MS | 29 mi | 13% | 71% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 35 mi | 12% | 53% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 37 mi | 11% | 69% |
| Noxubee County, MS | 40 mi | 60% | 80% |
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