Fentress County, Tennessee
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Fentress County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 5.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 39% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.
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 Fentress County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.5% |
| Mapped soil | 315,171 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lily | 25% | n/a |
| Ramsey | 11% | n/a |
| Jefferson | 7% | n/a |
| Alticrest | 6% | n/a |
| Gilpin | 4% | 0% |
| Bouldin | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN650 (2025-08-29), TN701 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 52.35 in, 4.92 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.27 in.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Fentress County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
5.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 32 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 12 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 5.1% |
| 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 Fentress County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.27 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 52.35 in (-4.92) |
| 2025 | 54.72 in (-2.55) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 72.02 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 35.51 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ALLARDT (4 mi away) | 16.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,260 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 39% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $168,200 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickett County, TN | 15 mi | 1% | 3% |
| Overton County, TN | 19 mi | 2% | 8% |
| Morgan County, TN | 23 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Scott County, TN | 24 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Clinton County, KY | 27 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Cumberland County, TN | 29 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Wayne County, KY | 30 mi | 9% | 4% |
| Putnam County, TN | 35 mi | 6% | 12% |
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