Johnson County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Johnson County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, 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 98 flood losses here since 2016, 15% of them in buildings with basements. 45% 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 Johnson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 168,916 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY639 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 43.15 in, 3.93 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.08 in.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Johnson 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 9 weeks, most recently on the June 16, 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
98 flood losses since 2016, $2.5 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 37. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 15% basements, 31% slabs, 32% crawl spaces, 22% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 17 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 30 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 37 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 13 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.08 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.15 in (-3.93) |
| 2025 | 51.50 in (+4.42) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1935: 61.04 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 24.59 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PAINTSVILLE 1E (3 mi away) | 11.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,583 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $120,200 |
| Single-family detached | 59% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magoffin County, KY | 16 mi | 4% | 5% |
| Lawrence County, KY | 17 mi | 17% | 14% |
| Martin County, KY | 18 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Floyd County, KY | 21 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Morgan County, KY | 24 mi | 9% | 13% |
| Elliott County, KY | 24 mi | 4% | 15% |
| Wayne County, WV | 31 mi | 17% | 28% |
| Pike County, KY | 34 mi | 0% | 2% |
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