Owsley County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Owsley 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 3 flood losses here since 2016. 37% 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 Owsley County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | under 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 126,944 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY623 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 44.68 in, 5.84 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.52 in.
USDA rates 86% 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 Owsley 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 15 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
3 flood losses since 2016, $64,961 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.52 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.68 in (-5.84) |
| 2025 | 57.40 in (+6.88) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1935: 64.78 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 26.38 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at JACKSON (24 mi away) | 12.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,052 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 37% |
| Built 2000 or later | 31% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $80,100 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County, KY | 13 mi | 4% | 4% |
| Clay County, KY | 18 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Jackson County, KY | 18 mi | 3% | under 1% |
| Breathitt County, KY | 22 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Estill County, KY | 24 mi | 3% | 8% |
| Wolfe County, KY | 25 mi | 9% | 11% |
| Powell County, KY | 28 mi | 2% | 9% |
| Leslie County, KY | 29 mi | 0% | 5% |
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