Kentucky: basement moisture and foundation risk by county
120 counties, ranked by our combined index. Highest combined risk is Carlisle County (73), lowest is Harlan County (30). The worst soil for foundation cracks specifically is in Carlisle County.
| County | Index | Moisture | Cracks | Water table | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlisle County | 73 | 63 | 82 | 82 | Mississippi alluvial plain |
| Graves County | 72 | 63 | 77 | 82 | Mississippi alluvial plain |
| Hickman County | 71 | 63 | 73 | 82 | Mississippi alluvial plain |
| Fulton County | 69 | 64 | 56 | 95 | Mississippi alluvial plain |
| McCracken County | 69 | 62 | 71 | 82 | Mississippi alluvial plain |
| Ballard County | 65 | 65 | 54 | 82 | Mississippi alluvial plain |
| Lincoln County | 59 | 45 | 73 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Allen County | 58 | 44 | 71 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Larue County | 58 | 45 | 71 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Webster County | 56 | 43 | 67 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Barren County | 55 | 42 | 66 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Christian County | 55 | 45 | 62 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Crittenden County | 55 | 46 | 73 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Wayne County | 55 | 46 | 60 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Garrard County | 54 | 42 | 61 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Cumberland County | 53 | 44 | 56 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Henderson County | 53 | 43 | 59 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Casey County | 52 | 43 | 69 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Green County | 52 | 46 | 49 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Hardin County | 52 | 43 | 70 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Marshall County | 52 | 44 | 54 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Caldwell County | 51 | 47 | 60 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Marion County | 51 | 43 | 52 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Meade County | 51 | 44 | 50 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Ohio County | 51 | 42 | 67 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Warren County | 51 | 43 | 50 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Edmonson County | 50 | 43 | 49 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Hopkins County | 50 | 46 | 70 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| McCreary County | 50 | 46 | 71 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Simpson County | 50 | 43 | 62 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Trigg County | 50 | 46 | 43 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Hart County | 49 | 42 | 48 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Livingston County | 49 | 43 | 71 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Muhlenberg County | 49 | 43 | 71 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Taylor County | 49 | 46 | 40 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Adair County | 48 | 46 | 39 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Bath County | 48 | 36 | 51 | 66 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Lyon County | 48 | 45 | 39 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Monroe County | 48 | 43 | 41 | 66 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Mercer County | 47 | 37 | 61 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Metcalfe County | 47 | 42 | 56 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Nicholas County | 47 | 35 | 65 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Russell County | 47 | 45 | 51 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Shelby County | 47 | 39 | 59 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Grayson County | 46 | 44 | 60 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Rockcastle County | 46 | 44 | 59 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Union County | 46 | 42 | 63 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Logan County | 45 | 43 | 46 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Woodford County | 45 | 37 | 57 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Boyle County | 44 | 46 | 52 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Carroll County | 44 | 36 | 64 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Clark County | 44 | 36 | 54 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Clinton County | 44 | 46 | 52 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Grant County | 44 | 39 | 61 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Jessamine County | 44 | 38 | 61 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| McLean County | 44 | 47 | 37 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Robertson County | 44 | 38 | 64 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Breckinridge County | 43 | 43 | 42 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Calloway County | 43 | 44 | 50 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Daviess County | 43 | 45 | 37 | 46 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Franklin County | 43 | 40 | 44 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Butler County | 42 | 45 | 45 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Carter County | 42 | 38 | 44 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Harrison County | 42 | 37 | 45 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Leslie County | 42 | 34 | 50 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Martin County | 42 | 36 | 49 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Nelson County | 42 | 39 | 56 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Owen County | 42 | 36 | 48 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Bracken County | 41 | 36 | 43 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Kenton County | 41 | 36 | 43 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Montgomery County | 41 | 38 | 43 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Oldham County | 41 | 39 | 40 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Perry County | 41 | 35 | 46 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Bell County | 40 | 37 | 51 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Hancock County | 40 | 43 | 43 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Todd County | 40 | 43 | 44 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Gallatin County | 39 | 39 | 47 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Henry County | 39 | 39 | 44 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Morgan County | 39 | 36 | 39 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Pulaski County | 39 | 45 | 38 | 30 | Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field |
| Wolfe County | 39 | 34 | 52 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Elliott County | 38 | 38 | 31 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Estill County | 38 | 35 | 48 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Jackson County | 38 | 38 | 33 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Knott County | 38 | 34 | 49 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Letcher County | 38 | 34 | 48 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Owsley County | 38 | 36 | 46 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Pendleton County | 38 | 37 | 44 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Trimble County | 38 | 36 | 48 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Washington County | 38 | 37 | 45 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Anderson County | 37 | 35 | 33 | 46 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Campbell County | 37 | 39 | 39 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Floyd County | 37 | 34 | 47 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Rowan County | 37 | 35 | 33 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Boone County | 36 | 37 | 38 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Bourbon County | 36 | 37 | 39 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Boyd County | 36 | 35 | 41 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Jefferson County | 36 | 38 | 37 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Knox County | 36 | 36 | 40 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Lee County | 36 | 34 | 52 | 16 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Magoffin County | 36 | 35 | 41 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Menifee County | 36 | 35 | 43 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Pike County | 36 | 35 | 31 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Scott County | 36 | 38 | 37 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Breathitt County | 35 | 38 | 35 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Greenup County | 35 | 37 | 25 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Laurel County | 35 | 36 | 38 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Lawrence County | 35 | 34 | 27 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Mason County | 35 | 38 | 35 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Whitley County | 35 | 34 | 28 | 46 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Fleming County | 34 | 34 | 37 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Johnson County | 34 | 37 | 33 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Spencer County | 34 | 37 | 34 | 30 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Bullitt County | 33 | 36 | 41 | 16 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Fayette County | 33 | 37 | 39 | 16 | Bluegrass karst plateau |
| Lewis County | 33 | 36 | 30 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Madison County | 33 | 34 | 34 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Clay County | 32 | 34 | 31 | 30 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Powell County | 32 | 34 | 40 | 16 | Appalachian Plateau |
| Harlan County | 30 | 34 | 34 | 16 | Appalachian Plateau |
Values from USDA NRCS SSURGO where available, otherwise our regional model — each county page states which. Methodology.
The physiographic regions inside Kentucky
State lines are political; soil follows geology. These are the distinct ground types inside Kentucky and why each behaves the way it does.
Pennyroyal and Western Coal Field
A fragipan is a compacted layer that neither roots nor water penetrate. Water perches on it and travels sideways to the first excavation it meets.
48 counties: Adair County, Allen County, Barren County, Boyle County, Breckinridge County, Butler County, Caldwell County, Calloway County, Casey County, Christian County, Clinton County, Crittenden County, Cumberland County, Daviess County, Edmonson County, Garrard County, Grayson County, Green County, Hancock County, Hardin County, Hart County, Henderson County, Hopkins County, Larue County, Lincoln County, Livingston County, Logan County, Lyon County, Marion County, Marshall County, McCreary County, McLean County, Meade County, Metcalfe County, Monroe County, Muhlenberg County, Ohio County, Pulaski County, Rockcastle County, Russell County, Simpson County, Taylor County, Todd County, Trigg County, Union County, Warren County, Wayne County, Webster County
Appalachian Plateau
Water travels over bedrock under a thin skin of colluvium. A house cut into a hillside has an entire catchment behind its uphill wall — what decides the outcome here is a daylight drain, not a coating.
36 counties: Bath County, Bell County, Boyd County, Breathitt County, Carter County, Clay County, Elliott County, Estill County, Fleming County, Floyd County, Greenup County, Harlan County, Jackson County, Johnson County, Knott County, Knox County, Laurel County, Lawrence County, Lee County, Leslie County, Letcher County, Lewis County, Madison County, Magoffin County, Martin County, Mason County, Menifee County, Montgomery County, Morgan County, Owsley County, Perry County, Pike County, Powell County, Rowan County, Whitley County, Wolfe County
Bluegrass karst plateau
Karst can keep a basement dry for decades and then flood it in an hour when an underground route surcharges. A pump sized for the average is not sized for that.
30 counties: Anderson County, Boone County, Bourbon County, Bracken County, Bullitt County, Campbell County, Carroll County, Clark County, Fayette County, Franklin County, Gallatin County, Grant County, Harrison County, Henry County, Jefferson County, Jessamine County, Kenton County, Mercer County, Nelson County, Nicholas County, Oldham County, Owen County, Pendleton County, Robertson County, Scott County, Shelby County, Spencer County, Trimble County, Washington County, Woodford County
Mississippi alluvial plain
Basements are rare here and that is sensible. Where they exist they are under more or less permanent groundwater pressure — not a case for a one-off repair, but for a pump with a backup that never stops mattering.
6 counties: Ballard County, Carlisle County, Fulton County, Graves County, Hickman County, McCracken County
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