Louisiana: basement moisture and foundation risk by county

64 counties, ranked by our combined index. Highest combined risk is East Feliciana Parish (79), lowest is Catahoula Parish (36). The worst soil for foundation cracks specifically is in East Feliciana Parish.

County	Index	Moisture	Cracks	Water table	Region
East Feliciana Parish	79	64	89	95	Mississippi alluvial plain
St. James Parish	79	65	88	95	Mississippi alluvial plain
St. Helena Parish	78	65	84	95	Mississippi alluvial plain
West Feliciana Parish	77	62	86	95	Mississippi alluvial plain
Livingston Parish	76	64	87	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
St. Martin Parish	75	66	83	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
Assumption Parish	74	62	77	95	Mississippi alluvial plain
Iberville Parish	74	66	81	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
St. Charles Parish	74	66	80	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
St. Tammany Parish	74	65	73	95	Mississippi alluvial plain
Iberia Parish	72	65	64	95	Mississippi alluvial plain
Pointe Coupee Parish	71	62	77	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
Ascension Parish	70	64	70	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
East Baton Rouge Parish	70	62	72	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
St. Bernard Parish	70	66	80	66	Mississippi alluvial plain
Orleans Parish	69	61	71	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
Plaquemines Parish	69	62	69	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
St. John the Baptist Parish	69	62	71	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
Washington Parish	69	64	58	95	Mississippi alluvial plain
Terrebonne Parish	67	64	59	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
West Baton Rouge Parish	67	63	63	82	Mississippi alluvial plain
Tangipahoa Parish	65	65	63	66	Mississippi alluvial plain
St. Mary Parish	64	63	64	66	Mississippi alluvial plain
Jefferson Parish	63	65	57	66	Mississippi alluvial plain
Lafourche Parish	60	62	53	66	Mississippi alluvial plain
Beauregard Parish	54	41	52	82	Gulf Coastal Plain
West Carroll Parish	52	43	55	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Calcasieu Parish	49	40	50	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Madison Parish	49	44	57	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Caldwell Parish	48	40	34	82	Gulf Coastal Plain
Claiborne Parish	48	40	34	82	Gulf Coastal Plain
Acadia Parish	47	43	38	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Franklin Parish	47	42	28	82	Gulf Coastal Plain
Lincoln Parish	47	39	32	82	Gulf Coastal Plain
Morehouse Parish	47	42	54	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Lafayette Parish	46	41	28	82	Gulf Coastal Plain
Bossier Parish	45	42	50	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Concordia Parish	45	40	50	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Evangeline Parish	45	42	34	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Natchitoches Parish	45	39	38	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Tensas Parish	45	44	32	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Winn Parish	45	42	48	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Cameron Parish	44	40	48	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Grant Parish	44	40	23	82	Gulf Coastal Plain
Jackson Parish	43	43	27	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Richland Parish	43	40	30	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Avoyelles Parish	42	42	26	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Jefferson Davis Parish	42	42	39	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Rapides Parish	42	41	40	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Vermilion Parish	42	43	39	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Webster Parish	42	39	28	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Caddo Parish	41	41	23	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
St. Landry Parish	41	42	37	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Union Parish	41	42	23	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Allen Parish	40	40	35	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Red River Parish	40	40	22	66	Gulf Coastal Plain
Sabine Parish	40	40	36	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Vernon Parish	40	41	35	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Bienville Parish	39	39	33	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
La Salle Parish	39	39	33	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
East Carroll Parish	38	42	28	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Ouachita Parish	38	42	27	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
Catahoula Parish	36	39	25	46	Gulf Coastal Plain
De Soto Parish	36	39	25	46	Gulf Coastal Plain

Values from USDA NRCS SSURGO where available, otherwise our regional model — each county page states which. Methodology.

The physiographic regions inside Louisiana

State lines are political; soil follows geology. These are the distinct ground types inside Louisiana and why each behaves the way it does.

Gulf Coastal Plain

Extremely variable over short distances: deep sand on the ridges, saturated clay in the flats between them. High rainfall and a seasonally high water table make crawlspace and slab moisture the dominant complaint rather than structural movement.

39 counties: Acadia Parish, Allen Parish, Avoyelles Parish, Beauregard Parish, Bienville Parish, Bossier Parish, Caddo Parish, Calcasieu Parish, Caldwell Parish, Cameron Parish, Catahoula Parish, Claiborne Parish, Concordia Parish, De Soto Parish, East Carroll Parish, Evangeline Parish, Franklin Parish, Grant Parish, Jackson Parish, Jefferson Davis Parish, La Salle Parish, Lafayette Parish, Lincoln Parish, Madison Parish, Morehouse Parish, Natchitoches Parish, Ouachita Parish, Rapides Parish, Red River Parish, Richland Parish, Sabine Parish, St. Landry Parish, Tensas Parish, Union Parish, Vermilion Parish, Vernon Parish, Webster Parish, West Carroll Parish, Winn Parish

Mississippi alluvial plain

Basements are rare here and that is sensible. Where they exist they are under more or less permanent groundwater pressure — not a case for a one-off repair, but for a pump with a backup that never stops mattering.

25 counties: Ascension Parish, Assumption Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish, East Feliciana Parish, Iberia Parish, Iberville Parish, Jefferson Parish, Lafourche Parish, Livingston Parish, Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish, Pointe Coupee Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. Helena Parish, St. James Parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, St. Martin Parish, St. Mary Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, Terrebonne Parish, Washington Parish, West Baton Rouge Parish, West Feliciana Parish

Page data updated 2026-08-12