Dyer County, Tennessee
A shallow water table limits basements on 79% of Dyer County's mapped land, a higher share than 88% of US counties and the 4th highest of 95 Tennessee counties. 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 59 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 54% 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 Dyer County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 78.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 19.4% |
| Mapped soil | 346,109 acres |
How we count · survey areas TN045 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.2% by land area here, and 19% 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 Dyer County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 79% of Dyer 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: 35.67 in, 16.07 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.74 in.
USDA rates 87% 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 37 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 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 | 15.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 1.8% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
59 flood losses since 2016, $3.0 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 45. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 22% slabs, 74% crawl spaces, 4% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 21.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 45 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.74 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.67 in (-16.07) |
| 2025 | 51.72 in (-0.02) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 74.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 29.22 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DYERSBURG III GOLF (4 mi away) | 15.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 16,311 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $166,400 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, TN | 20 mi | 29% | 78% |
| Crockett County, TN | 22 mi | 0% | 94% |
| Lauderdale County, TN | 24 mi | 15% | 56% |
| Pemiscot County, MO | 24 mi | 41% | 89% |
| Obion County, TN | 26 mi | 1% | 66% |
| Gibson County, TN | 27 mi | 0% | 84% |
| Haywood County, TN | 33 mi | 0% | 71% |
| Fulton County, KY | 37 mi | 15% | 65% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status