Houston County, Tennessee
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Houston County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 13%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 78.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 64.6% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 Houston County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 13.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 71.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | under 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 132,400 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Bodine | 27% | 0% |
| Baxter | 20% | n/a |
| Mountview | 12% | n/a |
| Sengtown | 10% | n/a |
| Greendale | 8% | n/a |
| Trace | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN083 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 38.96 in, 14.45 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.41 in.
USDA rates 71% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 13% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Houston County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
78.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 22 weeks, most recently on the June 30, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 78.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
7 flood losses since 2016, $550,333 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 6.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.41 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.96 in (-14.45) |
| 2025 | 54.39 in (+0.98) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1979: 75.14 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1941: 33.68 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DOVER 1 W (16 mi away) | 17.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,954 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $172,700 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stewart County, TN | 13 mi | under 1% | 27% |
| Humphreys County, TN | 18 mi | 0% | 24% |
| Dickson County, TN | 21 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Montgomery County, TN | 23 mi | 1% | 25% |
| Benton County, TN | 25 mi | under 1% | 41% |
| Henry County, TN | 33 mi | under 1% | 36% |
| Cheatham County, TN | 34 mi | under 1% | 19% |
| Hickman County, TN | 36 mi | 1% | 10% |
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