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Giles County, Tennessee

A shallow water table limits basements on 20% of Giles County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 11%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 10 flood losses here since 2016. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

11%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

20%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

48%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Giles County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)11.5%
High water table (limits basements)19.7%
Septic fields very limited82.1%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)3.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)15.8%
Mapped soil390,800 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Bodine20%0%
Dellrose13%n/a
Fullerton8%0%
Mimosa7%n/a
Armour4%n/a
Staser4%n/a
Lawrence County: 21%Marshall County: 10%Lincoln County: 28%Limestone County: 42%Maury County: 9%Lewis County: 17%Moore County: 15%Bedford County: 23%Giles County LawrenceMarshallLincolnLimestoneMauryLewisMooreBedfordGiles
Giles County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas TN055 (2025-08-28)

What the numbers mean here

On 20% of Giles 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: 51.45 in, 6.32 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.77 in.

USDA rates 82% 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 28 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 21 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse100%
D2 severe or worse100%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

10 flood losses since 2016, $310,961 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 3.

YearFlood losses
20161
20171
20181
20193
20202
20211
20220
20230
20240
20251
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202057.77 in
12 months to August 202651.45 in (-6.32)
202554.44 in (-3.33)
Wettest year since 18951989: 73.84 in
Driest year since 18952007: 34.77 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PULASKI WWTP (1 mi away)18.2

Homes

Housing units14,221
Median year built1982
Built before 198048%
Built 2000 or later23%
Owner-occupied73%
Median value, owner-occupied$234,300
Single-family detached73%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Lawrence County, TN 20 mi 0% 21%
Marshall County, TN 24 mi 21% 10%
Lincoln County, TN 25 mi 28% 28%
Limestone County, AL 27 mi 1% 42%
Maury County, TN 29 mi 8% 9%
Lewis County, TN 34 mi under 1% 17%
Moore County, TN 39 mi 22% 15%
Bedford County, TN 39 mi 33% 23%

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