Hart County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 7% of Hart County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 7.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 50.5% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses here since 2016. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Hart County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 55.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 267,424 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY647 (2025-09-08), KY648 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.88 in, 6.19 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.07 in.
USDA rates 55% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hart County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
7.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 12 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 9 weeks, most recently on the June 2, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 77.6% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 7.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
6 flood losses since 2016, $64,467 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.88 in (-6.19) |
| 2025 | 64.37 in (+11.30) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1979: 68.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 28.56 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NOLIN RVR LAKE (20 mi away) | 15.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,929 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $146,000 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green County, KY | 19 mi | 17% | 10% |
| Larue County, KY | 19 mi | 4% | 19% |
| Edmonson County, KY | 19 mi | 6% | 21% |
| Barren County, KY | 24 mi | 1% | 17% |
| Metcalfe County, KY | 26 mi | 3% | 12% |
| Hardin County, KY | 27 mi | 7% | 17% |
| Grayson County, KY | 28 mi | 1% | 37% |
| Taylor County, KY | 31 mi | 4% | 12% |
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