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Forrest County, Mississippi
A shallow water table limits basements on 34% of Forrest County's mapped land, a higher share than 52% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 8%.
97.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 165 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.
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 Forrest County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 33.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 70.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 8.2% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.2% |
| Mapped soil | 300,800 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| McLaurin | 17% | n/a |
| Heidel | 14% | n/a |
| Benndale | 13% | n/a |
| Prentiss | 8% | n/a |
| Susquehanna | 5% | n/a |
| Poarch | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MS035 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
On 34% of Forrest 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: 60.20 in, 1.86 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 62.06 in.
USDA rates 71% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
97.2% 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 11 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 97.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 73.6% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
165 flood losses since 2016, $4.8 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 57. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 57% slabs, 12% crawl spaces, 28% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 14 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 57 |
| 2017 | 15 |
| 2018 | 55 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 21 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 4 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 62.06 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 60.20 in (-1.86) |
| 2025 | 52.42 in (-9.64) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1961: 92.51 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1899: 33.62 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HATTIESBURG 5SW (7 mi away) | 20.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 33,753 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 57% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $168,000 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar County, MS | 15 mi | 8% | 38% |
| Perry County, MS | 16 mi | 12% | 37% |
| Stone County, MS | 29 mi | 10% | 33% |
| Jones County, MS | 30 mi | 7% | 56% |
| Marion County, MS | 33 mi | 3% | 37% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 34 mi | 3% | 59% |
| Covington County, MS | 35 mi | 5% | 45% |
| Greene County, MS | 37 mi | 21% | 47% |
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