Meade County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Meade County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 12%, 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 10 flood losses here since 2016. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.
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 Meade County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 47.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.9% |
| Mapped soil | 207,552 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY607 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 50.22 in, 0.23 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 49.99 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 12% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Meade 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 7 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 98% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 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
10 flood losses since 2016, $610,505 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 49.99 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 50.22 in (+0.23) |
| 2025 | 58.01 in (+8.02) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1979: 68.88 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 27.83 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CORYDON (18 mi away) | 13.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 12,237 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $207,900 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County, IN | 16 mi | 53% | 17% |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 18 mi | under 1% | 28% |
| Hardin County, KY | 23 mi | 7% | 17% |
| Perry County, IN | 24 mi | 27% | 48% |
| Crawford County, IN | 26 mi | 9% | 26% |
| Bullitt County, KY | 27 mi | 13% | 21% |
| Floyd County, IN | 29 mi | 27% | 20% |
| Jefferson County, KY | 33 mi | 2% | 22% |
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