Humphreys County, Tennessee
A shallow water table limits basements on 24% of Humphreys County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
99% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 36.7% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 157 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Humphreys County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 23.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.5% |
| Mapped soil | 356,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bodine | 47% | 0% |
| Dickson | 13% | n/a |
| Humphreys | 8% | n/a |
| Paden | 4% | n/a |
| Trace | 3% | n/a |
| Dellrose | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN085 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
On 24% of Humphreys County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 41.06 in, 12.64 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.70 in.
USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
99% 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 19 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 | 99% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
157 flood losses since 2016, $14.4 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 107. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 23% slabs, 51% crawl spaces, 26% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 55 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 47 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 107 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.70 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 41.06 in (-12.64) |
| 2025 | 54.74 in (+1.04) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1979: 76.21 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1941: 35.33 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DICKSON (22 mi away) | 16.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,892 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $193,400 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, TN | 16 mi | under 1% | 41% |
| Houston County, TN | 18 mi | 0% | 13% |
| Hickman County, TN | 24 mi | 1% | 10% |
| Dickson County, TN | 25 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Perry County, TN | 26 mi | 4% | 9% |
| Stewart County, TN | 28 mi | under 1% | 27% |
| Henry County, TN | 35 mi | under 1% | 36% |
| Decatur County, TN | 35 mi | 1% | 46% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status