Love County, Oklahoma
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17% of Love County's mapped land, a higher share than 66% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.
29.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Love County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 69.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 17.1% |
| Mapped soil | 342,707 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Weatherford | 16% | n/a |
| Dougherty | 11% | n/a |
| Eufaula | 9% | n/a |
| Windthorst | 8% | 37% |
| Teller | 5% | n/a |
| Konsil | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OK085 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.9% 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 17% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 29.1% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 17% of Love County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.46 in, 6.97 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 38.43 in.
USDA rates 70% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
29.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 50 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 16 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 29.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Love County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 38.43 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.46 in (-6.97) |
| 2025 | 44.12 in (+5.69) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 74.48 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 17.16 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MARIETTA 5SW (7 mi away) | 12.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,732 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $171,000 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, OK | 20 mi | 23% | 3% |
| Cooke County, TX | 22 mi | 38% | under 1% |
| Marshall County, OK | 28 mi | 30% | 1% |
| Montague County, TX | 34 mi | 23% | 3% |
| Jefferson County, OK | 35 mi | 17% | 1% |
| Murray County, OK | 38 mi | 29% | 7% |
| Grayson County, TX | 40 mi | 60% | 4% |
| Johnston County, OK | 42 mi | 21% | 19% |
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