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Ballard County, Kentucky

A shallow water table limits basements on 67% of Ballard County's mapped land, a higher share than 80% of US counties and the 6th highest of 120 Kentucky counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 2%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 3 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

2%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

67%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

48%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Ballard County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)1.9%
High water table (limits basements)67.4%
Septic fields very limited81.2%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)1.9%
Mapped soil175,187 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Grenada21%n/a
Loring9%99%
Feliciana8%n/a
Calloway7%n/a
Falaya5%n/a
Collins4%n/a
Pulaski County: 72%Carlisle County: 72%McCracken County: 73%Massac County: 79%Alexander County: 48%Mississippi County: 85%Hickman County: 77%Johnson County: 78%Ballard County PulaskiCarlisleMcCrackenMassacAlexanderMississippiHickmanJohnsonBallard
Ballard County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas KY602 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

On 67% of Ballard County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.95 in, 3.55 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.50 in.

USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 16 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 10 weeks, most recently on the June 2, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse35.8%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

3 flood losses since 2016, $61,592 paid. The worst year was 2023, with 2.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20181
20190
20200
20210
20220
20232
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202050.50 in
12 months to August 202646.95 in (-3.55)
202554.24 in (+3.74)
Wettest year since 18952011: 71.79 in
Driest year since 18951963: 29.94 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GRAND CHAIN DAM 53 (11 mi away)15.1

Homes

Housing units3,702
Median year built1982
Built before 198048%
Built 2000 or later25%
Owner-occupied76%
Median value, owner-occupied$145,800
Single-family detached74%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Pulaski County, IL 13 mi 10% 72%
Carlisle County, KY 14 mi 3% 72%
McCracken County, KY 16 mi 6% 73%
Massac County, IL 20 mi 8% 79%
Alexander County, IL 21 mi 19% 48%
Mississippi County, MO 22 mi 33% 85%
Hickman County, KY 26 mi 3% 77%
Johnson County, IL 29 mi 2% 78%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status