Stewart County, Tennessee
A shallow water table limits basements on 27% of Stewart County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
31.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 10 flood losses here since 2016. 37% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.
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 Stewart County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | under 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 27.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.6% |
| Mapped soil | 316,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bodine | 30% | 0% |
| Dickson | 10% | n/a |
| Saffell | 8% | n/a |
| Sengtown | 7% | n/a |
| Lax | 4% | n/a |
| Humphreys | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TN161 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
On 27% of Stewart 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: 38.83 in, 14.31 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.14 in.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
31.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 30 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 25 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 | 31.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
10 flood losses since 2016, $303,549 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.14 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.83 in (-14.31) |
| 2025 | 56.17 in (+3.03) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1979: 74.91 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1941: 33.00 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DOVER 1 W (4 mi away) | 17.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,718 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 37% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $204,700 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston County, TN | 13 mi | 0% | 13% |
| Montgomery County, TN | 24 mi | 1% | 25% |
| Trigg County, KY | 25 mi | under 1% | 13% |
| Humphreys County, TN | 28 mi | 0% | 24% |
| Calloway County, KY | 29 mi | under 1% | 54% |
| Henry County, TN | 29 mi | under 1% | 36% |
| Benton County, TN | 30 mi | under 1% | 41% |
| Dickson County, TN | 32 mi | under 1% | 12% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status