Warren County, Kentucky
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 8% of Warren County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 13%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 34 flood losses here since 2016, 7% of them in buildings with basements. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
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 Warren County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 12.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 54.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.9% |
| Mapped soil | 350,496 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Baxter | 22% | n/a |
| Crider | 18% | 3% |
| Caneyville | 8% | n/a |
| Frondorf | 5% | n/a |
| Zanesville | 5% | 0% |
| Ramsey | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KY227 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 44.77 in, 7.10 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.87 in.
USDA rates 54% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 8% and a shallow water table on 13% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Warren County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 16 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 12 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
34 flood losses since 2016, $1.5 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 13. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 7% basements, 14% slabs, 46% crawl spaces, 32% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 16 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 12 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 13 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.87 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.77 in (-7.10) |
| 2025 | 63.22 in (+11.35) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1979: 72.43 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 29.31 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BOWLING GREEN (0 mi away) | 15.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 59,868 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 56% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $258,000 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonson County, KY | 20 mi | 6% | 21% |
| Simpson County, KY | 20 mi | 1% | 11% |
| Butler County, KY | 20 mi | 10% | 33% |
| Allen County, KY | 21 mi | 0% | 12% |
| Logan County, KY | 27 mi | 1% | 24% |
| Barren County, KY | 27 mi | 1% | 17% |
| Grayson County, KY | 32 mi | 1% | 37% |
| Hart County, KY | 37 mi | 7% | 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