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Rankin County, Mississippi
A shallow water table limits basements on 77% of Rankin County's mapped land, a higher share than 86% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 76.4% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 247 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 27% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1995.
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 Rankin County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 20.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 76.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 18.7% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.1% |
| Mapped soil | 516,200 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Providence | 17% | n/a |
| Smithdale | 14% | 0% |
| Savannah | 10% | n/a |
| Kipling | 9% | n/a |
| Tippah | 7% | n/a |
| Falkner | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MS121 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.4% by land area here, and 19% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 20% of Rankin County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 77% of Rankin 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: 43.99 in, 14.80 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 58.79 in.
USDA rates 94% 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 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 15 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
247 flood losses since 2016, $11.5 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 105. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 96% slabs, 3% crawl spaces, 1% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 15 |
| 2017 | 105 |
| 2018 | 39 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 22 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 41 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 58.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.99 in (-14.80) |
| 2025 | 54.02 in (-4.77) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1979: 81.64 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 33.54 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at JACKSON INTL AP (9 mi away) | 18.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 64,415 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 27% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $237,400 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simpson County, MS | 25 mi | 8% | 47% |
| Madison County, MS | 26 mi | 1% | 84% |
| Scott County, MS | 26 mi | 37% | 87% |
| Hinds County, MS | 30 mi | 2% | 65% |
| Smith County, MS | 31 mi | 6% | 48% |
| Copiah County, MS | 40 mi | 14% | 63% |
| Leake County, MS | 42 mi | 1% | 62% |
| Yazoo County, MS | 43 mi | 23% | 71% |
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