Jessamine County, Kentucky
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27% of Jessamine County's mapped land, a higher share than 78% of US counties and the 10th highest of 120 Kentucky counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 4%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 34 flood losses here since 2016, 18% of them in buildings with basements. 30% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1992.
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 Jessamine County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 27.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 75.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 15.9% |
| Mapped soil | 111,558 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| McAfee | 30% | n/a |
| Maury | 12% | n/a |
| Bluegrass | 11% | n/a |
| Fairmount | 10% | n/a |
| Faywood | 8% | n/a |
| Eden | 5% | 6% |
How we count · survey areas KY624 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 16% 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: 52.50 in, 2.93 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 49.57 in.
USDA rates 76% 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 9 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
34 flood losses since 2016, $1.8 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 22. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 18% basements, 12% crawl spaces, 71% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 105.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 22 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 49.57 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 52.50 in (+2.93) |
| 2025 | 64.28 in (+14.71) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 69.96 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 26.29 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DIX DAM (9 mi away) | 11.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 21,198 |
| Median year built | 1992 |
| Built before 1980 | 30% |
| Built 2000 or later | 35% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $268,100 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, KY | 13 mi | 40% | 13% |
| Woodford County, KY | 15 mi | 31% | 4% |
| Mercer County, KY | 17 mi | 22% | 4% |
| Garrard County, KY | 17 mi | 18% | 5% |
| Madison County, KY | 20 mi | 13% | 19% |
| Boyle County, KY | 23 mi | 20% | 5% |
| Anderson County, KY | 24 mi | 25% | 4% |
| Clark County, KY | 25 mi | 27% | 9% |
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