Campbell County, Tennessee
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Campbell County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, 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 30 flood losses here since 2016. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Campbell County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 317,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Muskingum | 16% | n/a |
| Fullerton | 11% | 0% |
| Bethesda | 10% | n/a |
| Sequoia | 9% | n/a |
| Jefferson | 8% | n/a |
| Ramsey | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN013 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 51.31 in, 4.48 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 55.79 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Campbell 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 27 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 10 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 41.5% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
30 flood losses since 2016, $526,010 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 11.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 11 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 55.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 51.31 in (-4.48) |
| 2025 | 56.10 in (+0.31) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 72.61 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 36.45 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEWCOMB (10 mi away) | 14.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 20,559 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 43% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $186,500 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County, TN | 19 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Union County, TN | 20 mi | under 1% | 5% |
| Anderson County, TN | 20 mi | 2% | 7% |
| Whitley County, KY | 25 mi | 6% | 18% |
| Claiborne County, TN | 29 mi | under 1% | 3% |
| McCreary County, KY | 29 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Knox County, TN | 31 mi | 0% | 8% |
| Morgan County, TN | 32 mi | 0% | 2% |
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