Carter County, Kentucky
A shallow water table limits basements on 35% of Carter County's mapped land, a higher share than 53% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 39 flood losses here since 2016, 5% of them in buildings with basements. 44% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Carter County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 26.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 34.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 26.6% |
| Mapped soil | 263,802 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY043 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.7% by land area here, and 27% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
On 35% of Carter 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: 40.89 in, 4.68 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.57 in.
USDA rates 83% 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 5 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 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
39 flood losses since 2016, $642,180 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 21. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 5% basements, 10% slabs, 70% crawl spaces, 15% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 20 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 21 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.57 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.89 in (-4.68) |
| 2025 | 49.16 in (+3.59) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 58.25 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 24.26 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ASHLAND (25 mi away) | 10.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 12,316 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 44% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $132,800 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elliott County, KY | 14 mi | 4% | 15% |
| Greenup County, KY | 18 mi | 27% | 34% |
| Boyd County, KY | 20 mi | 40% | 25% |
| Rowan County, KY | 22 mi | 8% | 21% |
| Lewis County, KY | 24 mi | 1% | 13% |
| Lawrence County, KY | 24 mi | 17% | 14% |
| Morgan County, KY | 30 mi | 9% | 13% |
| Johnson County, KY | 34 mi | 0% | 1% |
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