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Pike County, Mississippi

A shallow water table limits basements on 71% of Pike County's mapped land, a higher share than 82% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 13 flood losses here since 2016. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

71%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

43%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Pike County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)71.4%
Septic fields very limited94.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)under 0.1%
Mapped soil263,000 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Ora28%n/a
Smithdale11%0%
Savannah11%n/a
Falaya8%n/a
Ruston7%n/a
Saffell4%n/a
Walthall County: 49%Amite County: 67%Lincoln County: 69%Washington Parish: 51%St. Helena Parish: 66%Lawrence County: 45%Marion County: 37%Franklin County: 45%Pike County WalthallAmiteLincolnWashingtonSt. HelenaLawrenceMarionFranklinPike
Pike 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 MS113 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

On 71% of Pike 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: 47.13 in, 15.23 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 62.36 in.

USDA rates 95% 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 16 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 12 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 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 worse100%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

13 flood losses since 2016, $485,137 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 8.

YearFlood losses
20168
20170
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20231
20240
20251
2026 to date3

Rain

Average year, 1991-202062.36 in
12 months to August 202647.13 in (-15.23)
202550.88 in (-11.48)
Wettest year since 18951961: 85.44 in
Driest year since 18951924: 38.76 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MCCOMB/PIKE CO/JOHN E LEWIS AP (4 mi away)18.7

Homes

Housing units19,200
Median year built1984
Built before 198043%
Built 2000 or later27%
Owner-occupied67%
Median value, owner-occupied$110,800
Single-family detached57%

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
Walthall County, MS 17 mi under 1% 49%
Amite County, MS 24 mi 2% 67%
Lincoln County, MS 25 mi 1% 69%
Washington Parish, LA 31 mi under 1% 51%
St. Helena Parish, LA 31 mi 0% 66%
Lawrence County, MS 31 mi 11% 45%
Marion County, MS 34 mi 3% 37%
Franklin County, MS 36 mi 10% 45%

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