Clark County, Kentucky
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27% of Clark County's mapped land, a higher share than 77% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 9%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 77 flood losses here since 2016, 11% 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 Clark County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 26.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 24.0% |
| Mapped soil | 163,354 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lowell | 22% | 76% |
| Faywood | 7% | n/a |
| Salvisa | 6% | n/a |
| McAfee | 5% | n/a |
| Otway | 5% | n/a |
| Culleoka | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KY049 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 24% 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.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 49.07 in, 0.20 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 49.27 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 11 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
77 flood losses since 2016, $3.3 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 37. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 11% basements, 12% slabs, 11% crawl spaces, 66% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 67 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 37 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 29 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 49.27 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 49.07 in (-0.20) |
| 2025 | 61.32 in (+12.05) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 74.11 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 24.42 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLAY CITY 1 WNW (14 mi away) | 13.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 16,418 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $205,800 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, KY | 13 mi | 13% | 16% |
| Bourbon County, KY | 16 mi | 56% | 5% |
| Fayette County, KY | 18 mi | 40% | 13% |
| Madison County, KY | 18 mi | 13% | 19% |
| Powell County, KY | 20 mi | 2% | 9% |
| Estill County, KY | 22 mi | 3% | 8% |
| Jessamine County, KY | 25 mi | 27% | 4% |
| Bath County, KY | 25 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