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Scott County, Mississippi
A shallow water table limits basements on 87% of Scott County's mapped land, a higher share than 94% of US counties and the 7th highest of 82 Mississippi counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 37%.
22.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 4.7% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 17 flood losses here since 2016. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.
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 Scott County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 37.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 87.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 32.5% |
| Mapped soil | 390,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Kipling | 14% | n/a |
| Savannah | 11% | n/a |
| Louin | 7% | n/a |
| Smithdale | 7% | 0% |
| Falkner | 6% | n/a |
| Ichusa | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MS123 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.5% by land area here, and 33% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 37% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 22.4% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 37% of Scott County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 87% of Scott 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: 47.65 in, 11.67 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 59.32 in.
USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
22.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 22 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 22.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
17 flood losses since 2016, $834,543 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 5.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 4 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 59.32 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 47.65 in (-11.67) |
| 2025 | 53.96 in (-5.36) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1979: 81.87 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1952: 35.70 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WALNUT GROVE (13 mi away) | 21.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,483 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $106,700 |
| Single-family detached | 58% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leake County, MS | 24 mi | 1% | 62% |
| Newton County, MS | 24 mi | 10% | 47% |
| Rankin County, MS | 26 mi | 20% | 77% |
| Smith County, MS | 27 mi | 6% | 48% |
| Madison County, MS | 33 mi | 1% | 84% |
| Neshoba County, MS | 34 mi | 2% | 46% |
| Jasper County, MS | 36 mi | 15% | 48% |
| Simpson County, MS | 42 mi | 8% | 47% |
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