Jackson County, Tennessee
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23% of Jackson County's mapped land, a higher share than 73% of US counties and the 6th highest of 95 Tennessee counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 6%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 31% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.
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 Jackson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 23.6% |
| Mapped soil | 206,000 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Hawthorne | 29% | n/a |
| Barfield | 10% | n/a |
| Gladdice | 7% | n/a |
| Dellrose | 7% | n/a |
| Christian | 7% | n/a |
| Mimosa | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN087 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% by land area here, and 24% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of Jackson County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.66 in, 8.24 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 54.90 in.
USDA rates 84% 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 19 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 15 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 | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
7 flood losses since 2016, $153,647 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 54.90 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.66 in (-8.24) |
| 2025 | 53.23 in (-1.67) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 72.24 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 37.01 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CARTHAGE (17 mi away) | 17.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,854 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 31% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $155,500 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, TN | 15 mi | 4% | 8% |
| Smith County, TN | 16 mi | 41% | 3% |
| Putnam County, TN | 18 mi | 6% | 12% |
| Overton County, TN | 22 mi | 2% | 8% |
| Macon County, TN | 22 mi | 10% | 16% |
| Monroe County, KY | 25 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Trousdale County, TN | 27 mi | 44% | 10% |
| DeKalb County, TN | 27 mi | 13% | 19% |
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