Cherokee County, Iowa
A shallow water table limits basements on 36% of Cherokee County's mapped land, a higher share than 54% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 28 flood losses here since 2016, 65% of them in buildings with basements. 84% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1958.
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 Cherokee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 26.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 35.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 96.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 11.3% |
| Mapped soil | 369,300 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Galva | 52% | n/a |
| Primghar | 10% | n/a |
| Colo | 7% | n/a |
| Marcus | 6% | n/a |
| Steinauer | 4% | n/a |
| Sac | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IA035 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 11% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
On 36% of Cherokee 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: 22.04 in, 8.84 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 30.88 in.
USDA rates 97% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 27 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
28 flood losses since 2016, $828,194 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 15. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 65% basements, 9% slabs, 26% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 37.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 15 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 30.88 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 22.04 in (-8.84) |
| 2025 | 33.71 in (+2.83) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1951: 41.45 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1958: 14.64 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHEROKEE (5 mi away) | 7.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,557 |
| Median year built | 1958 |
| Built before 1980 | 84% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $158,700 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| O'Brien County, IA | 24 mi | 47% | 64% |
| Buena Vista County, IA | 25 mi | 22% | 83% |
| Ida County, IA | 25 mi | 23% | 27% |
| Plymouth County, IA | 30 mi | 8% | 27% |
| Woodbury County, IA | 32 mi | 16% | 25% |
| Clay County, IA | 34 mi | 32% | 77% |
| Sioux County, IA | 36 mi | 26% | 35% |
| Sac County, IA | 36 mi | 26% | 63% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status