Ida County, Iowa
A shallow water table limits basements on 27% of Ida County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 84% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1952.
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 Ida County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 27.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.0% |
| Mapped soil | 276,400 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Galva | 30% | n/a |
| Monona | 17% | n/a |
| Colo | 10% | n/a |
| Marshall | 8% | 0% |
| Kennebec | 7% | n/a |
| Judson | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IA093 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 4% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
On 27% of Ida 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: 22.90 in, 8.80 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 31.70 in.
USDA rates 81% 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 26 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 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
2 flood losses since 2016, $6,658 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.70 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 22.90 in (-8.80) |
| 2025 | 32.79 in (+1.09) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1951: 47.51 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1976: 15.55 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HOLSTEIN (7 mi away) | 8.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,369 |
| Median year built | 1952 |
| Built before 1980 | 84% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $108,900 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sac County, IA | 21 mi | 26% | 63% |
| Crawford County, IA | 25 mi | 12% | 15% |
| Cherokee County, IA | 25 mi | 27% | 36% |
| Woodbury County, IA | 28 mi | 16% | 25% |
| Buena Vista County, IA | 31 mi | 22% | 83% |
| Monona County, IA | 33 mi | 30% | 46% |
| Carroll County, IA | 41 mi | 18% | 41% |
| Plymouth County, IA | 43 mi | 8% | 27% |
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