Blount County, Tennessee
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Blount County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 5%, 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 34 flood losses here since 2016. 38% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.
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 Blount County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 71.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.3% |
| Mapped soil | 357,103 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Ramsey | 14% | n/a |
| Dewey | 10% | 0% |
| Dandridge | 5% | n/a |
| Tellico | 4% | n/a |
| Ditney | 4% | n/a |
| Sequoia | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN609 (2025-09-02), TN640 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.16 in, 10.35 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 56.51 in.
USDA rates 71% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Blount 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 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 14 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 6.2% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
34 flood losses since 2016, $334,901 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 15. Median water depth outside the building: 21.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 14 |
| 2020 | 15 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 56.51 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.16 in (-10.35) |
| 2025 | 49.56 in (-6.95) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 72.63 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 34.05 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AP (10 mi away) | 14.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 61,850 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 38% |
| Built 2000 or later | 33% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $320,500 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County, TN | 21 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Loudon County, TN | 22 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Sevier County, TN | 23 mi | 0% | 7% |
| Graham County, NC | 24 mi | 0% | 4% |
| Monroe County, TN | 25 mi | 0% | 5% |
| Swain County, NC | 27 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Anderson County, TN | 33 mi | 2% | 7% |
| Roane County, TN | 35 mi | 2% | 7% |
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