Barton County, Kansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 54% of Barton County's mapped land, a higher share than 92% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 10%.
54.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 10 flood losses here since 2016. 77% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1959.
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 Barton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 53.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 55.2% |
| Mapped soil | 576,537 acres |
How we count · survey areas KS009 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.9% by land area here, and 55% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 54% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 54.8% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 54% of Barton County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 21.31 in, 5.30 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 26.61 in.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
54.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 14 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 54.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 25.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
10 flood losses since 2016, $44,127 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 7.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 26.61 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 21.31 in (-5.30) |
| 2025 | 31.48 in (+4.87) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 41.67 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 13.24 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GREAT BEND 3W (9 mi away) | 7.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 12,383 |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Built before 1980 | 77% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $126,400 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush County, KS | 29 mi | 60% | 1% |
| Russell County, KS | 30 mi | 40% | 1% |
| Stafford County, KS | 31 mi | 10% | 30% |
| Rice County, KS | 32 mi | 47% | 17% |
| Pawnee County, KS | 33 mi | 49% | 9% |
| Ellsworth County, KS | 34 mi | 50% | 1% |
| Ellis County, KS | 42 mi | 36% | 1% |
| Lincoln County, KS | 49 mi | 47% | 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status