Letcher County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Letcher County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on under 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 136 flood losses here since 2016, 16% of them in buildings with basements. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
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 Letcher County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.4% |
| Mapped soil | 216,992 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY626 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 39.12 in, 9.83 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 48.95 in.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Letcher 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 20 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 17 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 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
136 flood losses since 2016, $7.4 million paid. The worst year was 2022, with 91. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 16% basements, 44% slabs, 27% crawl spaces, 13% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 42 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 91 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 37 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 48.95 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 39.12 in (-9.83) |
| 2025 | 52.73 in (+3.78) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 61.87 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 30.11 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SKYLINE 1 SE (8 mi away) | 10.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,603 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $67,400 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wise County, VA | 17 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Knott County, KY | 17 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Norton city, VA | 18 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Perry County, KY | 21 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Harlan County, KY | 27 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Dickenson County, VA | 28 mi | 0% | under 1% |
| Leslie County, KY | 29 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Floyd County, KY | 30 mi | 0% | 1% |
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