Brown County, Kansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 77% of Brown County's mapped land, a higher share than 99% of US counties and the 10th highest of 105 Kansas counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 60%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 74% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1964.
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 Brown County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 77.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 60.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 97.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 65.6% |
| Mapped soil | 366,234 acres |
How we count · survey areas KS013 (2025-08-26)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.1% by land area here, and 66% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 77% of the mapped land.
On 60% of Brown 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: 32.22 in, 3.21 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.43 in.
USDA rates 98% 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 2 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 41.7% 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
1 flood losses since 2016, $15,000 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 35.43 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.22 in (-3.21) |
| 2025 | 30.89 in (-4.54) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 60.43 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1988: 18.36 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HIAWATHA 1 S (2 mi away) | 8.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,478 |
| Median year built | 1964 |
| Built before 1980 | 74% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $118,100 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richardson County, NE | 22 mi | 58% | 42% |
| Doniphan County, KS | 23 mi | 27% | 15% |
| Nemaha County, KS | 23 mi | 75% | 70% |
| Atchison County, KS | 24 mi | 73% | 62% |
| Holt County, MO | 26 mi | 30% | 41% |
| Jackson County, KS | 31 mi | 76% | 73% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 42 mi | 58% | 48% |
| Pawnee County, NE | 42 mi | 70% | 65% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 26, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status