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Leake County, Mississippi

A shallow water table limits basements on 62% of Leake County's mapped land, a higher share than 75% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

17.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 0% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses here since 2016. 47% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

62%

high water table: limits basements

17%

in drought, October 13, 2026

47%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Leake County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)1.3%
High water table (limits basements)61.9%
Septic fields very limited97.0%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.7%
Mapped soil374,400 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Smithdale26%0%
Rosebloom11%n/a
Ora10%n/a
Providence9%n/a
Mantachie7%n/a
Sweatman6%n/a
Attala County: 57%Neshoba County: 46%Scott County: 87%Madison County: 84%Newton County: 47%Winston County: 55%Holmes County: 57%Rankin County: 77%Leake County AttalaNeshobaScottMadisonNewtonWinstonHolmesRankinLeake
Leake 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 MS079 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

On 62% of Leake 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: 47.41 in, 10.94 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 58.35 in.

USDA rates 97% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

17.3% 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 10 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 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 worse17.3%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

8 flood losses since 2016, $608,471 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 4.

YearFlood losses
20160
20171
20180
20190
20201
20210
20224
20231
20240
20251
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202058.35 in
12 months to August 202647.41 in (-10.94)
202552.08 in (-6.27)
Wettest year since 18951979: 84.36 in
Driest year since 18951952: 34.29 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WALNUT GROVE (12 mi away)21.9

Homes

Housing units9,078
Median year built1982
Built before 198047%
Built 2000 or later21%
Owner-occupied77%
Median value, owner-occupied$116,800
Single-family detached69%

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
Attala County, MS 23 mi 1% 57%
Neshoba County, MS 23 mi 2% 46%
Scott County, MS 24 mi 37% 87%
Madison County, MS 31 mi 1% 84%
Newton County, MS 34 mi 10% 47%
Winston County, MS 36 mi 9% 55%
Holmes County, MS 42 mi 14% 57%
Rankin County, MS 42 mi 20% 77%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status