Wayne County, Tennessee
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Wayne County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 8%, 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 18 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
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Wayne County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.6% |
| Mapped soil | 470,700 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Biffle | 35% | n/a |
| Brandon | 9% | n/a |
| Sulphura | 8% | n/a |
| Saffell | 8% | n/a |
| Ironcity | 4% | n/a |
| Humphreys | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN181 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 49.62 in, 8.28 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.90 in.
USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 8% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Wayne 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 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 22 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 23.2% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
18 flood losses since 2016, $564,645 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 11.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 11 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.90 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 49.62 in (-8.28) |
| 2025 | 50.23 in (-7.67) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1991: 76.77 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1941: 33.78 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WAYNESBORO (5 mi away) | 19.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,211 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $130,700 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin County, TN | 21 mi | 2% | 36% |
| Lawrence County, TN | 24 mi | 0% | 21% |
| Lauderdale County, AL | 25 mi | 0% | 32% |
| Lewis County, TN | 27 mi | under 1% | 17% |
| Perry County, TN | 29 mi | 4% | 9% |
| Decatur County, TN | 30 mi | 1% | 46% |
| Colbert County, AL | 37 mi | 18% | 17% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 42 mi | 0% | 28% |
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