Pendleton County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 14% of Pendleton County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 8%, 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, 76% of them in buildings with basements. 51% 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 Pendleton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 14.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 12.6% |
| Mapped soil | 180,148 acres |
How we count · survey areas KY619 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 48.82 in, 2.51 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 46.31 in.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 14% and a shallow water table on 8% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Pendleton 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 5 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 67.1% of its area, on the April 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 4.6% |
| 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, $457,604 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 19. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 76% basements, 14% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 5% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 19 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 46.31 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 48.82 in (+2.51) |
| 2025 | 51.88 in (+5.57) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 61.96 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 25.57 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CYNTHIANA (22 mi away) | 12.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,299 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $159,800 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bracken County, KY | 13 mi | 8% | 4% |
| Grant County, KY | 15 mi | 23% | 9% |
| Campbell County, KY | 17 mi | 14% | 16% |
| Harrison County, KY | 17 mi | 11% | 3% |
| Kenton County, KY | 19 mi | 14% | 26% |
| Robertson County, KY | 20 mi | 7% | 2% |
| Clermont County, OH | 27 mi | 8% | 67% |
| Boone County, KY | 28 mi | 7% | 29% |
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