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Perry County, Mississippi

A shallow water table limits basements on 37% of Perry County's mapped land, a higher share than 56% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 12%.

97.4% 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 37 flood losses here since 2016. 31% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

12%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

37%

high water table: limits basements

97%

in drought, October 13, 2026

31%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Perry County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)11.9%
High water table (limits basements)37.1%
Septic fields very limited71.2%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)13.0%
Mapped soil416,400 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Benndale14%n/a
McLaurin12%n/a
Smithdale12%0%
Trebloc6%n/a
Freest6%n/a
Prentiss5%n/a
Forrest County: 34%Greene County: 47%Stone County: 33%George County: 33%Lamar County: 38%Jones County: 56%Wayne County: 40%Pearl River County: 59%Perry County ForrestGreeneStoneGeorgeLamarJonesWaynePearl RiverPerry
Perry 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 MS111 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

On 37% of Perry 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: 56.68 in, 6.32 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 63.00 in.

USDA rates 71% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

97.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 14 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 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 worse97.4%
D2 severe or worse65.5%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

37 flood losses since 2016, $1.3 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 24.

YearFlood losses
201624
20170
201810
20192
20200
20210
20220
20231
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202063.00 in
12 months to August 202656.68 in (-6.32)
202553.03 in (-9.97)
Wettest year since 18951961: 95.46 in
Driest year since 18951899: 37.71 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BEAUMONT EXPSTATION (6 mi away)20.6

Homes

Housing units5,498
Median year built1993
Built before 198031%
Built 2000 or later37%
Owner-occupied82%
Median value, owner-occupied$124,000
Single-family detached62%

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
Forrest County, MS 16 mi 8% 34%
Greene County, MS 21 mi 21% 47%
Stone County, MS 27 mi 10% 33%
George County, MS 30 mi 10% 33%
Lamar County, MS 31 mi 8% 38%
Jones County, MS 33 mi 7% 56%
Wayne County, MS 37 mi 15% 40%
Pearl River County, MS 45 mi 3% 59%

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