Bourbon County, Kentucky
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 56% of Bourbon County's mapped land, a higher share than 93% of US counties and the highest of 120 Kentucky counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 5%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 21 flood losses here since 2016. 51% 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 Bourbon County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 55.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 51.9% |
| Mapped soil | 186,567 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lowell | 24% | 76% |
| Faywood | 24% | n/a |
| McAfee | 10% | n/a |
| Bluegrass | 9% | n/a |
| Maury | 8% | n/a |
| Cynthiana | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KY604 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.7% by land area here, and 52% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 56% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 48.28 in, 0.93 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 49.21 in.
USDA rates 84% 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 7 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 64.8% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
21 flood losses since 2016, $233,454 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 14.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 14 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 49.21 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 48.28 in (-0.93) |
| 2025 | 58.47 in (+9.26) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 72.68 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 25.14 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PARIS (2 mi away) | 12.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,181 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $229,300 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas County, KY | 14 mi | 29% | 2% |
| Clark County, KY | 16 mi | 27% | 9% |
| Fayette County, KY | 18 mi | 40% | 13% |
| Harrison County, KY | 18 mi | 11% | 3% |
| Montgomery County, KY | 20 mi | 13% | 16% |
| Scott County, KY | 21 mi | 31% | 3% |
| Robertson County, KY | 23 mi | 7% | 2% |
| Bath County, KY | 26 mi | 15% | 18% |
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