Estill County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Estill County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 8%, 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 37 flood losses here since 2016, 21% of them in buildings with basements. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 Estill County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.3% |
| Mapped soil | 163,616 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY616 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 48.57 in, 1.83 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.40 in.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 8% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Estill 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 11 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 10 weeks, most recently on the June 9, 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
37 flood losses since 2016, $1.1 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 25. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 21% basements, 4% slabs, 18% crawl spaces, 57% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 49.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 25 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.40 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 48.57 in (-1.83) |
| 2025 | 62.34 in (+11.94) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 73.95 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 22.51 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLAY CITY 1 WNW (12 mi away) | 13.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,864 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $119,500 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powell County, KY | 11 mi | 2% | 9% |
| Lee County, KY | 15 mi | 4% | 4% |
| Madison County, KY | 17 mi | 13% | 19% |
| Jackson County, KY | 20 mi | 3% | under 1% |
| Clark County, KY | 22 mi | 27% | 9% |
| Owsley County, KY | 24 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Montgomery County, KY | 24 mi | 13% | 16% |
| Wolfe County, KY | 26 mi | 9% | 11% |
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