Fremont County, Iowa
A shallow water table limits basements on 39% of Fremont County's mapped land, a higher share than 57% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 119 flood losses here since 2016, 52% of them in buildings with basements. 75% 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 Fremont County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 39.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 13.6% |
| Mapped soil | 330,800 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 22% | 0% |
| Monona | 15% | n/a |
| Colo | 8% | n/a |
| Napier | 6% | n/a |
| Judson | 4% | n/a |
| Dockery | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IA071 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.3% by land area here, and 14% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.
On 39% of Fremont 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: 33.22 in, 0.78 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 34.00 in.
USDA rates 77% 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 3 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 61% of its area, on the March 31, 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
119 flood losses since 2016, $8.0 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 117. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 52% basements, 39% slabs, 9% crawl spaces. Median water depth outside the building: 50.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 117 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 34.00 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.22 in (-0.78) |
| 2025 | 27.57 in (-6.43) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 52.49 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1988: 19.65 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SIDNEY 1SSE (2 mi away) | 8.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,125 |
| Median year built | 1958 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $154,400 |
| Single-family detached | 88% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mills County, IA | 20 mi | 16% | 28% |
| Atchison County, MO | 23 mi | 30% | 36% |
| Page County, IA | 24 mi | 63% | 63% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 28 mi | 58% | 48% |
| Otoe County, NE | 29 mi | 71% | 65% |
| Montgomery County, IA | 30 mi | 36% | 40% |
| Cass County, NE | 31 mi | 71% | 21% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 37 mi | 7% | 15% |
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