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Lee County, Mississippi
A shallow water table limits basements on 61% of Lee County's mapped land, a higher share than 75% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 28%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 47 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 39% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
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 Lee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 28.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 61.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 97.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 29.4% |
| Mapped soil | 290,000 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Oktibbeha | 12% | n/a |
| Ora | 11% | n/a |
| Luverne | 10% | n/a |
| Mantachie | 9% | n/a |
| Marietta | 6% | n/a |
| Leeper | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MS081 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and 29% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 28% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 28% of Lee County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 61% of Lee 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: 44.16 in, 13.87 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 58.03 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 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 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 | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
47 flood losses since 2016, $2.2 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 25. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 94% slabs, 6% crawl spaces. Median water depth outside the building: 8.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 25 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 58.03 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.16 in (-13.87) |
| 2025 | 55.82 in (-2.21) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1991: 83.70 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1943: 35.30 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TUPELO RGNL AP (6 mi away) | 18.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 37,654 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 39% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $199,500 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itawamba County, MS | 18 mi | 2% | 42% |
| Pontotoc County, MS | 21 mi | 30% | 77% |
| Union County, MS | 23 mi | 9% | 50% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 24 mi | 15% | 49% |
| Chickasaw County, MS | 29 mi | 31% | 86% |
| Monroe County, MS | 30 mi | 28% | 72% |
| Tippah County, MS | 35 mi | 14% | 49% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 40 mi | 0% | 28% |
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