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Tennessee soil by county

Across Tennessee's mapped land, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 5% and a shallow water table limits basements on 24%.

Highest clay shares: Trousdale County (44%), Smith County (41%), Bedford County (33%), Lake County (29%), Lincoln County (28%). Highest water-table shares: Crockett County (94%), Weakley County (84%), Gibson County (84%), Dyer County (79%), Lake County (78%).

Data as of September 22, 2026 · 95 counties

Anderson County: 2%Bedford County: 33%Benton County: 0%Bledsoe County: 2%Blount County: 0%Bradley County: 0%Campbell County: 0%Cannon County: 17%Carroll County: 0%Carter County: 1%Cheatham County: 0%Chester County: 4%Claiborne County: 0%Clay County: 4%Cocke County: 1%Coffee County: 2%Crockett County: 0%Cumberland County: 0%Davidson County: 14%Decatur County: 1%DeKalb County: 13%Dickson County: 0%Dyer County: 16%Fayette County: 0%Fentress County: 1%Franklin County: 2%Gibson County: 0%Giles County: 11%Grainger County: 2%Greene County: 2%Grundy County: 2%Hamblen County: 4%Hamilton County: 8%Hancock County: 0%Hardeman County: 7%Hardin County: 2%Hawkins County: 0%Haywood County: 0%Henderson County: 1%Henry County: 0%Hickman County: 1%Houston County: 0%Humphreys County: 0%Jackson County: 23%Jefferson County: 0%Johnson County: 0%Knox County: 0%Lake County: 29%Lauderdale County: 15%Lawrence County: 0%Lewis County: 0%Lincoln County: 28%Loudon County: 0%Macon County: 10%Madison County: 0%Marion County: 0%Marshall County: 21%Maury County: 8%McMinn County: 0%McNairy County: 5%Meigs County: 5%Monroe County: 0%Montgomery County: 1%Moore County: 22%Morgan County: 0%Obion County: 1%Overton County: 2%Perry County: 4%Pickett County: 1%Polk County: 0%Putnam County: 6%Rhea County: 3%Roane County: 2%Robertson County: 0%Rutherford County: 21%Scott County: 0%Sequatchie County: 1%Sevier County: 0%Shelby County: 4%Smith County: 41%Stewart County: 0%Sullivan County: 0%Sumner County: 18%Tipton County: 6%Trousdale County: 44%Unicoi County: 0%Union County: 0%Van Buren County: 1%Warren County: 0%Washington County: 1%Wayne County: 1%Weakley County: 0%White County: 2%Williamson County: 8%Wilson County: 16%
Expansive clay: share of mapped land where shrink-swell clay limits houses without basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+
Anderson County: 7%Bedford County: 23%Benton County: 41%Bledsoe County: 4%Blount County: 5%Bradley County: 14%Campbell County: 2%Cannon County: 28%Carroll County: 50%Carter County: 1%Cheatham County: 19%Chester County: 45%Claiborne County: 3%Clay County: 8%Cocke County: 6%Coffee County: 45%Crockett County: 94%Cumberland County: 1%Davidson County: 8%Decatur County: 46%DeKalb County: 19%Dickson County: 12%Dyer County: 79%Fayette County: 71%Fentress County: 4%Franklin County: 20%Gibson County: 84%Giles County: 20%Grainger County: 3%Greene County: 20%Grundy County: 5%Hamblen County: 7%Hamilton County: 13%Hancock County: 5%Hardeman County: 39%Hardin County: 36%Hawkins County: 10%Haywood County: 71%Henderson County: 40%Henry County: 36%Hickman County: 10%Houston County: 13%Humphreys County: 24%Jackson County: 6%Jefferson County: 5%Johnson County: 1%Knox County: 8%Lake County: 78%Lauderdale County: 56%Lawrence County: 21%Lewis County: 17%Lincoln County: 28%Loudon County: 4%Macon County: 16%Madison County: 46%Marion County: 7%Marshall County: 10%Maury County: 9%McMinn County: 9%McNairy County: 38%Meigs County: 17%Monroe County: 5%Montgomery County: 25%Moore County: 15%Morgan County: 2%Obion County: 66%Overton County: 8%Perry County: 9%Pickett County: 3%Polk County: 4%Putnam County: 12%Rhea County: 10%Roane County: 7%Robertson County: 32%Rutherford County: 14%Scott County: 2%Sequatchie County: 3%Sevier County: 7%Shelby County: 61%Smith County: 3%Stewart County: 27%Sullivan County: 8%Sumner County: 19%Tipton County: 49%Trousdale County: 10%Unicoi County: 1%Union County: 5%Van Buren County: 2%Warren County: 26%Washington County: 10%Wayne County: 8%Weakley County: 84%White County: 8%Williamson County: 17%Wilson County: 14%
High water table: share of mapped land where a shallow water table limits basementsunder 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

Every county in Tennessee

Select a column heading to sort.
Anderson County 2% 7% 52% 13 1977
Bedford County 33% 23% 100% 7 1990
Benton County under 1% 41% 0% 7 1980
Bledsoe County 2% 4% 35% 0 1993
Blount County under 1% 5% 0% 34 1990
Bradley County under 1% 14% 0% 21 1986
Campbell County 0% 2% 11% 30 1984
Cannon County 17% 28% 100% 33 1990
Carroll County 0% 50% 0% 2 1977
Carter County 1% 1% 0% 112 1977
Cheatham County under 1% 19% 100% 104 1992
Chester County 4% 45% 100% 0 1989
Claiborne County under 1% 3% 0% 4 1987
Clay County 4% 8% 95% 9 1985
Cocke County 1% 6% 0% 56 1987
Coffee County 2% 45% 100% 11 1986
Crockett County 0% 94% 50% 1 1979
Cumberland County under 1% 1% 0% 3 1994
Davidson County 14% 8% 100% 1,020 1986
DeKalb County 13% 19% 97% 12 1986
Decatur County 1% 46% 60% 94 1984
Dickson County under 1% 12% 100% 28 1988
Dyer County 16% 79% 41% 59 1978
Fayette County 0% 71% 100% 4 1999
Fentress County 1% 4% 0% 0 1987
Franklin County 2% 20% 100% 8 1985
Gibson County 0% 84% 0% 17 1976
Giles County 11% 20% 100% 10 1982
Grainger County 2% 3% 2% 3 1992
Greene County 2% 20% 0% 15 1983
Grundy County 2% 5% 100% 2 1987
Hamblen County 4% 7% 0% 7 1980
Hamilton County 8% 13% 50% 177 1982
Hancock County 0% 5% 0% 8 1982
Hardeman County 7% 39% 100% 0 1982
Hardin County 2% 36% 100% 89 1986
Hawkins County 0% 10% 0% 8 1986
Haywood County 0% 71% 100% 10 1977
Henderson County 1% 40% 43% 11 1988
Henry County under 1% 36% 0% 17 1984
Hickman County 1% 10% 20% 32 1989
Houston County 0% 13% 5% 7 1981
Humphreys County 0% 24% 3% 157 1978
Jackson County 23% 6% 41% 7 1989
Jefferson County 0% 5% 0% 8 1991
Johnson County 0% 1% 0% 37 1981
Knox County 0% 8% 28% 115 1985
Lake County 29% 78% 0% 1 1975
Lauderdale County 15% 56% 100% 11 1981
Lawrence County 0% 21% 100% 0 1983
Lewis County under 1% 17% 99% 2 1991
Lincoln County 28% 28% 100% 16 1985
Loudon County under 1% 4% 0% 8 1992
Macon County 10% 16% 100% 2 1991
Madison County 0% 46% 61% 17 1986
Marion County under 1% 7% 100% 30 1985
Marshall County 21% 10% 100% 6 1991
Maury County 8% 9% 82% 35 1994
McMinn County 0% 9% 0% 2 1983
McNairy County 5% 38% 100% 4 1983
Meigs County 5% 17% 0% 1 1994
Monroe County 0% 5% 1% 9 1991
Montgomery County 1% 25% 20% 80 1998
Moore County 22% 15% 100% 0 1991
Morgan County 0% 2% 21% 1 1985
Obion County 1% 66% 0% 54 1975
Overton County 2% 8% 12% 3 1983
Perry County 4% 9% 50% 34 1988
Pickett County 1% 3% 0% 2 1993
Polk County 0% 4% 0% 5 1988
Putnam County 6% 12% 51% 16 1991
Rhea County 3% 10% 0% 14 1988
Roane County 2% 7% 9% 7 1979
Robertson County 0% 32% 99% 44 1994
Rutherford County 21% 14% 49% 73 2001
Scott County 0% 2% 23% 1 1988
Sequatchie County 1% 3% 100% 3 1993
Sevier County 0% 7% 8% 63 1995
Shelby County 4% 61% 100% 137 1977
Smith County 41% 3% 18% 33 1988
Stewart County under 1% 27% 0% 10 1989
Sullivan County 0% 8% 0% 44 1977
Sumner County 18% 19% 100% 179 1995
Tipton County 6% 49% 100% 54 1993
Trousdale County 44% 10% 99% 4 1989
Unicoi County 0% 1% 0% 29 1977
Union County under 1% 5% 19% 5 1993
Van Buren County 1% 2% 80% 9 1978
Warren County under 1% 26% 100% 5 1979
Washington County 1% 10% 0% 34 1985
Wayne County 1% 8% 100% 18 1982
Weakley County 0% 84% 0% 2 1977
White County 2% 8% 81% 2 1984
Williamson County 8% 17% 70% 275 2002
Wilson County 16% 14% 36% 155 2000

How these shares are counted

Shares are of mapped land in USDA's soil survey (SSURGO), weighted by each soil's share of every map unit. Drought is the US Drought Monitor's D1-or-worse share on the September 22, 2026 map. Flood losses are FEMA NFIP records since 2016. Sources and methods.