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Yazoo County, Mississippi
A shallow water table limits basements on 71% of Yazoo County's mapped land, a higher share than 82% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 97.8% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 55 flood losses here since 2016, 4% of them in buildings with basements. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.
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 Yazoo County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 71.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.7% |
| Mapped soil | 598,000 acres |
How we count · survey areas MS163 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 23% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of Yazoo County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 71% of Yazoo 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: 43.71 in, 12.51 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 56.22 in.
USDA rates 92% 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 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 12 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 | 62.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
55 flood losses since 2016, $1.6 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 18. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 4% basements, 67% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 26% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 18 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 15 |
| 2020 | 18 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 56.22 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.71 in (-12.51) |
| 2025 | 50.06 in (-6.16) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 76.84 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 32.78 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at YAZOO CITY 5 NNE (10 mi away) | 19.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,485 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $153,800 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, MS | 22 mi | 1% | 84% |
| Humphreys County, MS | 26 mi | 86% | 92% |
| Sharkey County, MS | 27 mi | 79% | 96% |
| Holmes County, MS | 30 mi | 14% | 57% |
| Hinds County, MS | 35 mi | 2% | 65% |
| Issaquena County, MS | 36 mi | 69% | 84% |
| Warren County, MS | 39 mi | 19% | 49% |
| Rankin County, MS | 43 mi | 20% | 77% |
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