Kentucky Soil Drainage Rankings

Kentucky

How well does the soil drain across Kentucky? We ranked every USDA survey area by the percentage of land classified as "well drained." Areas at the top of the list have soils where water moves through at a healthy rate — favorable for building, septic, and gardening. Areas at the bottom have more waterlogged or slowly-draining soils that may require engineered solutions.

The best-drained survey area is Breathitt County, Kentucky at 100% well-drained soils. The most drainage-challenged is Carlisle and Hickman Counties, Kentucky at 6%. With 31% poorly-drained soils, properties in Carlisle and Hickman Counties, Kentucky should budget for drainage engineering, alternative septic designs, or raised-bed gardening.

#Survey AreaWell DrainedPoorly DrainedDominant Class
1 Breathitt County, Kentucky 100% 0% Well drained
2 Jackson and Owsley Counties, Kentucky 100% 0% Well drained
3 Leslie and Perry Counties, Kentucky 100% 0% Well drained
4 Pike County, Kentucky 99% 0% Well drained
5 Floyd and Johnson Counties, Kentucky 99% 0% Well drained
6 Bell and Harlan Counties, Kentucky 99% 0% Well drained
7 Knott and Letcher Counties, Kentucky 99% 0% Well drained
8 Clay County, Kentucky 98% 0% Well drained
9 Wayne County, Kentucky 97% 1% Well drained
10 Clinton County, Kentucky 97% 2% Well drained
11 McCreary-Whitley Area, Kentucky 97% 1% Well drained
12 Magoffin and Morgan Counties, Kentucky 97% 0% Well drained
13 Scott County, Kentucky 97% 0% Well drained
14 Boyle and Mercer Counties, Kentucky 96% 1% Well drained
15 Harrison County, Kentucky 96% 0% Well drained
16 Bourbon and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky 96% 0% Well drained
17 Jessamine and Woodford Counties, Kentucky 96% 1% Well drained
18 Bracken and Robertson Counties, Kentucky 96% 0% Well drained
19 Washington County, Kentucky 96% 1% Well drained
20 Mason County, Kentucky 95% 0% Well drained
21 Anderson and Franklin Counties, Kentucky 95% 1% Well drained
22 Hart County Area, Kentucky 95% 1% Well drained
23 Lawrence and Martin Counties, Kentucky 95% 4% Well drained
24 Russell County, Kentucky 92% 2% Well drained
25 Monroe County, Kentucky 92% 2% Well drained
26 Grant and Pendleton Counties, Kentucky 92% 0% Well drained
27 Henry and Trimble Counties, Kentucky 91% 0% Well drained
28 Clark County, Kentucky 90% 3% Well drained
29 Carroll, Gallatin, and Owen Counties, Kentucky 90% 2% Well drained
30 Green and Taylor Counties, Kentucky 90% 5% Well drained
31 Cumberland County, Kentucky 90% 1% Well drained
32 Garrard and Lincoln Counties, Kentucky 89% 4% Well drained
33 Casey County, Kentucky 89% 6% Well drained
34 Fleming County, Kentucky 89% 2% Well drained
35 Estill and Lee Counties, Kentucky 88% 2% Well drained
36 Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky 88% 0% Well drained
37 Pulaski County, Kentucky 88% 4% Well drained
38 Shelby County, Kentucky 88% 0% Well drained
39 Allen County, Kentucky 88% 1% Well drained
40 Simpson County, Kentucky 88% 5% Well drained
41 Lewis County, Kentucky 88% 2% Well drained
42 Carter County, Kentucky 87% 2% Well drained
43 Fayette County Area, Part of Fayette County, Kentucky 87% 4% Well drained
44 Marion County, Kentucky 86% 6% Well drained
45 Elliott County, Kentucky 85% 0% Well drained
46 Powell and Wolfe Counties, Kentucky 85% 2% Well drained
47 Metcalfe County, Kentucky 84% 5% Well drained
48 Hardin and Larue Counties, Kentucky 83% 5% Well drained
49 Montgomery County, Kentucky 82% 3% Well drained
50 Adair County, Kentucky 82% 5% Well drained
51 Oldham County, Kentucky 82% 1% Well drained
52 Bullitt and Spencer Counties, Kentucky 81% 9% Well drained
53 Bath County, Kentucky 81% 9% Well drained
54 Boyd and Greenup Counties, Kentucky 81% 4% Well drained
55 Lyon and Trigg Counties, Kentucky 80% 1% Well drained
56 Laurel and Rockcastle Counties, Kentucky 80% 5% Well drained
57 Warren County, Kentucky 79% 3% Well drained
58 Barren County Area, Kentucky 77% 4% Well drained
59 Madison County, Kentucky 77% 7% Well drained
60 Logan County, Kentucky 76% 5% Well drained
61 Nelson County, Kentucky 76% 6% Well drained
62 Breckinridge and Meade Counties, Kentucky 75% 1% Well drained
63 Butler and Edmonson Counties Area, Kentucky 74% 13% Well drained
64 Jefferson County, Kentucky 72% 7% Well drained
65 Todd County, Kentucky 70% 6% Well drained
66 Boone, Campbell, and Kenton Counties, Kentucky 70% 1% Well drained
67 Knox and Eastern Part of Whitley Counties, Kentucky 70% 7% Well drained
68 Christian County, Kentucky 68% 7% Well drained
69 Menifee and Rowan Counties, Kentucky 64% 2% Well drained
70 Ohio County, Kentucky 55% 20% Well drained
71 Caldwell County, Kentucky 53% 7% Well drained
72 Crittenden County, Kentucky 42% 7% Moderately well drained
73 Livingston County, Kentucky 42% 7% Moderately well drained
74 Union and Webster Counties, Kentucky 41% 25% Well drained
75 Grayson County, Kentucky 41% 4% Well drained
76 Daviess and Hancock Counties, Kentucky 40% 33% Well drained
77 McLean and Muhlenberg Counties, Kentucky 39% 31% Well drained
78 Hopkins County, Kentucky 32% 32% Moderately well drained
79 Henderson County, Kentucky 31% 37% Well drained
80 Calloway and Marshall Counties, Kentucky 25% 20% Moderately well drained
81 Ballard and McCracken Counties, Kentucky 20% 38% Moderately well drained
82 Graves County, Kentucky 18% 7% Moderately well drained
83 Fulton County, Kentucky 16% 45% Somewhat poorly drained
84 Carlisle and Hickman Counties, Kentucky 6% 31% Moderately well drained

See also: national drainage rankings | Kentucky gardening soil rankings | all Kentucky survey areas