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Lowndes County, Mississippi
A shallow water table limits basements on 66% of Lowndes County's mapped land, a higher share than 79% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 41%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 67 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 47% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 Lowndes County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 40.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 65.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 39.3% |
| Mapped soil | 331,200 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Vaiden | 9% | n/a |
| Savannah | 8% | n/a |
| Leeper | 7% | n/a |
| Prentiss | 7% | n/a |
| Okolona | 5% | n/a |
| Cahaba | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MS087 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.7% by land area here, and 39% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 41% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 41% of Lowndes County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 66% of Lowndes 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: 42.12 in, 13.99 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 56.11 in.
USDA rates 93% 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 25 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 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 | 70.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
67 flood losses since 2016, $527,503 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 23. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 29% slabs, 13% crawl spaces, 56% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 23 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 23 |
| 2020 | 22 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 8 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 56.11 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.12 in (-13.99) |
| 2025 | 54.90 in (-1.21) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 84.51 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 33.18 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COLUMBUS (3 mi away) | 17.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 27,168 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 47% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 61% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $164,100 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickens County, AL | 23 mi | 6% | 45% |
| Clay County, MS | 24 mi | 46% | 83% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 26 mi | 43% | 80% |
| Noxubee County, MS | 26 mi | 60% | 80% |
| Monroe County, MS | 29 mi | 28% | 72% |
| Lamar County, AL | 30 mi | under 1% | 44% |
| Fayette County, AL | 42 mi | 2% | 26% |
| Chickasaw County, MS | 43 mi | 31% | 86% |
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