Nelson County, Kentucky
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16% of Nelson County's mapped land, a higher share than 65% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 14%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 32 flood losses here since 2016, 24% of them in buildings with basements. 34% 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 Nelson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.8% |
| Mapped soil | 271,353 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY179 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.5% by land area here, and 17% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 16% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 47.53 in, 3.08 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.61 in.
USDA rates 81% 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 10 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 81% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
32 flood losses since 2016, $1.5 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 23. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 24% basements, 24% slabs, 41% crawl spaces, 10% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 23 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.61 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 47.53 in (-3.08) |
| 2025 | 60.38 in (+9.77) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 69.20 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 30.26 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BARDSTOWN 5E (5 mi away) | 14.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 20,330 |
| Median year built | 1992 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 36% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $238,000 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, KY | 16 mi | 23% | 5% |
| Bullitt County, KY | 17 mi | 13% | 21% |
| Spencer County, KY | 17 mi | 23% | 7% |
| Marion County, KY | 20 mi | 5% | 14% |
| Larue County, KY | 22 mi | 4% | 19% |
| Hardin County, KY | 28 mi | 7% | 17% |
| Jefferson County, KY | 29 mi | 2% | 22% |
| Anderson County, KY | 30 mi | 25% | 4% |
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