Bledsoe County, Tennessee
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 2% of Bledsoe County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 34.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 35.3% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 30% 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 Bledsoe County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.6% |
| Mapped soil | 260,700 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lily | 23% | n/a |
| Gilpin | 23% | 0% |
| Ramsey | 17% | n/a |
| Waynesboro | 7% | n/a |
| Bouldin | 4% | n/a |
| Pailo | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN007 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 44.70 in, 15.20 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 59.90 in.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Bledsoe County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
34.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 27 weeks, most recently on the June 30, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 34.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Bledsoe County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 59.90 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.70 in (-15.20) |
| 2025 | 57.22 in (-2.68) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 78.03 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 37.98 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PIKEVILLE (1 mi away) | 16.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,912 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 30% |
| Built 2000 or later | 37% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $189,400 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhea County, TN | 14 mi | 3% | 10% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 16 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Sequatchie County, TN | 19 mi | 1% | 3% |
| Meigs County, TN | 23 mi | 5% | 17% |
| White County, TN | 27 mi | 2% | 8% |
| Cumberland County, TN | 27 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Hamilton County, TN | 30 mi | 8% | 13% |
| Grundy County, TN | 32 mi | 2% | 5% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status