Morgan County, Tennessee
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Morgan County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 19.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 22.5% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 42% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.
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 Morgan County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 334,400 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Gilpin | 32% | 0% |
| Lily | 21% | n/a |
| Petros | 13% | n/a |
| Wernock | 9% | n/a |
| Bouldin | 6% | n/a |
| Ramsey | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN629 (2025-09-02), TN650 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 50.62 in, 7.29 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.91 in.
USDA rates 93% 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 Morgan County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
19.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 44 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 | 19.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $37,982 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.91 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 50.62 in (-7.29) |
| 2025 | 53.13 in (-4.78) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 72.67 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 37.81 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at KINGSTON (20 mi away) | 17.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,566 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25% |
| Owner-occupied | 85% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $166,300 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roane County, TN | 21 mi | 2% | 7% |
| Scott County, TN | 21 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Fentress County, TN | 23 mi | 1% | 4% |
| Cumberland County, TN | 24 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Anderson County, TN | 25 mi | 2% | 7% |
| Campbell County, TN | 32 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Loudon County, TN | 33 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Pickett County, TN | 38 mi | 1% | 3% |
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