Powell County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 2% of Powell County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 9%, 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 42 flood losses here since 2016, 11% of them in buildings with basements. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.
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 Powell County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.3% |
| Mapped soil | 115,271 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Bledsoe | 10% | n/a |
| Carpenter | 10% | n/a |
| Westbend | 6% | n/a |
| Helechawa | 6% | n/a |
| Berks | 6% | 0% |
| Grigsby | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KY634 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 49.03 in, 1.51 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.54 in.
USDA rates 78% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on 9% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Powell 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 11 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 10 weeks, most recently on the June 9, 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
42 flood losses since 2016, $993,368 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 27. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 11% basements, 21% slabs, 46% crawl spaces, 21% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 23.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.54 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 49.03 in (-1.51) |
| 2025 | 62.80 in (+12.26) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 76.36 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 23.34 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLAY CITY 1 WNW (6 mi away) | 13.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,647 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 40% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $141,100 |
| Single-family detached | 62% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estill County, KY | 11 mi | 3% | 8% |
| Lee County, KY | 15 mi | 4% | 4% |
| Menifee County, KY | 16 mi | 17% | 15% |
| Montgomery County, KY | 16 mi | 13% | 16% |
| Wolfe County, KY | 19 mi | 9% | 11% |
| Clark County, KY | 20 mi | 27% | 9% |
| Bath County, KY | 24 mi | 15% | 18% |
| Madison County, KY | 25 mi | 13% | 19% |
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