Muskogee County, Oklahoma
A shallow water table limits basements on 48% of Muskogee County's mapped land, a higher share than 65% of US counties and the 9th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 35%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 109 flood losses here since 2016, 3% of them in buildings with basements. 55% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Muskogee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 34.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 48.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 42.3% |
| Mapped soil | 535,923 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Dennis | 17% | 100% |
| Bates | 10% | n/a |
| Taloka | 8% | n/a |
| Verdigris | 7% | n/a |
| Parsons | 6% | n/a |
| Stigler | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OK101 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 42% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 35% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 35% of Muskogee County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 48% of Muskogee 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: 35.36 in, 10.55 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.91 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 42 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 | 31.9% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
109 flood losses since 2016, $12.7 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 51. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 3% basements, 85% slabs, 7% crawl spaces, 4% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 29 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 10 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 51 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 43 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.91 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.36 in (-10.55) |
| 2025 | 49.95 in (+4.04) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 68.49 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 21.50 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MUSKOGEE DAVIS FLD (3 mi away) | 12.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 29,349 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $153,200 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McIntosh County, OK | 24 mi | 35% | 36% |
| Wagoner County, OK | 25 mi | 34% | 48% |
| Cherokee County, OK | 29 mi | 16% | 20% |
| Haskell County, OK | 32 mi | 32% | 36% |
| Okmulgee County, OK | 33 mi | 37% | 53% |
| Sequoyah County, OK | 36 mi | 6% | 26% |
| Adair County, OK | 45 mi | 14% | 21% |
| Tulsa County, OK | 47 mi | 47% | 52% |
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