Lee County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 4% of Lee County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, 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 22 flood losses here since 2016. 38% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
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 Lee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 4.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.1% |
| Mapped soil | 135,181 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY616 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.29 in, 3.93 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.22 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 4% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Lee 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 12 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 10 weeks, most recently on the June 16, 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
22 flood losses since 2016, $1.3 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 12.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 12 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.22 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.29 in (-3.93) |
| 2025 | 59.32 in (+9.10) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 67.61 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 24.28 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLAY CITY 1 WNW (21 mi away) | 13.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,229 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 38% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $83,900 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owsley County, KY | 13 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Estill County, KY | 15 mi | 3% | 8% |
| Powell County, KY | 15 mi | 2% | 9% |
| Wolfe County, KY | 15 mi | 9% | 11% |
| Jackson County, KY | 22 mi | 3% | under 1% |
| Breathitt County, KY | 23 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Menifee County, KY | 24 mi | 17% | 15% |
| Clay County, KY | 31 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