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Covington County, Mississippi

A shallow water table limits basements on 45% of Covington County's mapped land, a higher share than 62% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 5%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 10 flood losses here since 2016. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

5%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

45%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

34%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Covington County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)4.7%
High water table (limits basements)45.4%
Septic fields very limited80.4%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.8%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)4.7%
Mapped soil266,600 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Smithdale20%0%
Ruston17%n/a
Ora13%n/a
Savannah8%n/a
Jena5%n/a
Oaklimeter4%n/a
Jefferson Davis County: 37%Jones County: 56%Smith County: 48%Simpson County: 47%Lamar County: 38%Marion County: 37%Lawrence County: 45%Forrest County: 34%Covington County Jefferson DavisJonesSmithSimpsonLamarMarionLawrenceForrestCovington
Covington 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 MS031 (2025-09-04)

What the numbers mean here

On 45% of Covington 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: 51.80 in, 7.76 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 59.56 in.

USDA rates 80% 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 16 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 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 worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

10 flood losses since 2016, $429,317 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 6.

YearFlood losses
20166
20170
20180
20190
20200
20212
20220
20231
20240
20250
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202059.56 in
12 months to August 202651.80 in (-7.76)
202549.54 in (-10.02)
Wettest year since 18951961: 88.31 in
Driest year since 18951954: 35.34 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COLLINS (1 mi away)21.2

Homes

Housing units8,397
Median year built1989
Built before 198034%
Built 2000 or later28%
Owner-occupied78%
Median value, owner-occupied$105,100
Single-family detached63%

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
Jefferson Davis County, MS 17 mi 6% 37%
Jones County, MS 22 mi 7% 56%
Smith County, MS 27 mi 6% 48%
Simpson County, MS 29 mi 8% 47%
Lamar County, MS 30 mi 8% 38%
Marion County, MS 32 mi 3% 37%
Lawrence County, MS 33 mi 11% 45%
Forrest County, MS 35 mi 8% 34%

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