Perry County, Tennessee
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 4% of Perry County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 9%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 34 flood losses here since 2016. 42% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
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 Perry County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.3% |
| Mapped soil | 271,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Biffle | 42% | n/a |
| Hawthorne | 11% | n/a |
| Sulphura | 7% | n/a |
| Humphreys | 3% | n/a |
| Mimosa | 3% | n/a |
| Riverby | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN135 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 44.49 in, 11.25 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 55.74 in.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 4% and a shallow water table on 9% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Perry County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 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 | 53.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 5% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
34 flood losses since 2016, $943,736 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 26. Median water depth outside the building: 68 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 26 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 55.74 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.49 in (-11.25) |
| 2025 | 52.81 in (-2.93) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1979: 71.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1941: 33.72 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LINDEN WTP (4 mi away) | 18.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,866 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $126,900 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur County, TN | 14 mi | 1% | 46% |
| Lewis County, TN | 23 mi | under 1% | 17% |
| Hickman County, TN | 24 mi | 1% | 10% |
| Humphreys County, TN | 26 mi | 0% | 24% |
| Henderson County, TN | 29 mi | 1% | 40% |
| Wayne County, TN | 29 mi | 1% | 8% |
| Benton County, TN | 30 mi | under 1% | 41% |
| Hardin County, TN | 37 mi | 2% | 36% |
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