Bell County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Bell County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 63 flood losses here since 2016, 15% of them in buildings with basements. 52% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
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 Bell County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 231,257 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY638 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 48.58 in, 4.96 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.54 in.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Bell County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 26 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 13 weeks, most recently on the July 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
63 flood losses since 2016, $1.3 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 19. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 15% basements, 15% slabs, 50% crawl spaces, 19% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 16 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 10 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 17 |
| 2021 | 19 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.54 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 48.58 in (-4.96) |
| 2025 | 58.06 in (+4.52) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 68.70 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 34.12 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BARBOURVILLE (15 mi away) | 15.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,631 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 59% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $89,000 |
| Single-family detached | 58% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County, KY | 15 mi | 16% | 34% |
| Claiborne County, TN | 16 mi | under 1% | 3% |
| Whitley County, KY | 26 mi | 6% | 18% |
| Harlan County, KY | 27 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Hancock County, TN | 29 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Leslie County, KY | 30 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Clay County, KY | 30 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Lee County, VA | 31 mi | 13% | 4% |
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