Lake County, Tennessee
A shallow water table limits basements on 78% of Lake County's mapped land, a higher share than 87% of US counties and the 5th highest of 95 Tennessee counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 29%.
63.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 59% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Lake County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 29.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 78.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 30.4% |
| Mapped soil | 122,559 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Commerce | 12% | n/a |
| Reelfoot | 11% | n/a |
| Bruin | 10% | n/a |
| Roellen | 10% | n/a |
| Bowdre | 9% | n/a |
| Sharkey | 8% | 99% |
How we count · survey areas TN095 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% by land area here, and 30% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 29% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 63.7% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 29% of Lake County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 78% of Lake 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: 35.46 in, 15.62 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 51.08 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
63.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 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 | 63.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $2,000 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 51.08 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.46 in (-15.62) |
| 2025 | 52.59 in (+1.51) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 76.98 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 28.31 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at UNION CITY (26 mi away) | 16.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,494 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 59% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 48% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $97,900 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pemiscot County, MO | 19 mi | 41% | 89% |
| Obion County, TN | 19 mi | 1% | 66% |
| Dyer County, TN | 20 mi | 16% | 79% |
| New Madrid County, MO | 20 mi | 35% | 84% |
| Fulton County, KY | 22 mi | 15% | 65% |
| Dunklin County, MO | 34 mi | 29% | 73% |
| Mississippi County, MO | 36 mi | 33% | 85% |
| Hickman County, KY | 37 mi | 3% | 77% |
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