Cherokee County, Oklahoma
A shallow water table limits basements on 20% of Cherokee County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 38 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 35% 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 Cherokee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 19.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.8% |
| Mapped soil | 497,235 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Clarksville | 28% | 0% |
| Britwater | 9% | n/a |
| Hector | 9% | n/a |
| Enders | 8% | n/a |
| Linker | 6% | n/a |
| Tonti | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OK021 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 2.7% by land area here, and 17% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 16% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 16% of Cherokee County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 20% of Cherokee 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: 38.53 in, 9.52 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 48.05 in.
USDA rates 85% 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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
38 flood losses since 2016, $644,757 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 21. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 60% slabs, 20% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 47 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 21 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 48.05 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.53 in (-9.52) |
| 2025 | 51.60 in (+3.55) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 72.67 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 25.08 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TAHLEQUAH (3 mi away) | 16.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 22,363 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 35% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $168,500 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adair County, OK | 19 mi | 14% | 21% |
| Muskogee County, OK | 29 mi | 35% | 48% |
| Wagoner County, OK | 29 mi | 34% | 48% |
| Mayes County, OK | 31 mi | 31% | 44% |
| Sequoyah County, OK | 31 mi | 6% | 26% |
| Delaware County, OK | 35 mi | 5% | 23% |
| Washington County, AR | 44 mi | 20% | 24% |
| Rogers County, OK | 47 mi | 38% | 42% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status