Hancock County, Tennessee
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Hancock 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 8 flood losses here since 2016. 47% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.
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 Hancock County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 143,409 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Wallen | 11% | n/a |
| Montevallo | 11% | n/a |
| Fullerton | 8% | 0% |
| Talbott | 8% | n/a |
| Calvin | 7% | n/a |
| Claiborne | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN602 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.00 in, 4.75 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.75 in.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hancock 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 22 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 | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
8 flood losses since 2016, $111,105 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.75 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.00 in (-4.75) |
| 2025 | 48.20 in (-2.55) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2020: 65.66 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 34.95 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROGERSVILLE 1 NE (16 mi away) | 12.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,675 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 47% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $134,500 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County, VA | 14 mi | 13% | 4% |
| Hawkins County, TN | 18 mi | 0% | 10% |
| Hamblen County, TN | 21 mi | 4% | 7% |
| Grainger County, TN | 22 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Claiborne County, TN | 23 mi | under 1% | 3% |
| Harlan County, KY | 24 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Bell County, KY | 29 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Greene County, TN | 32 mi | 2% | 20% |
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