Butler County, Kansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 73% of Butler County's mapped land, a higher share than 98% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 8%.
89.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 91 flood losses here since 2016, 25% of them in buildings with basements. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Butler County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 72.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 96.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 73.0% |
| Mapped soil | 925,913 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Irwin | 22% | n/a |
| Dwight | 16% | n/a |
| Labette | 15% | n/a |
| Verdigris | 9% | n/a |
| Florence | 5% | n/a |
| Sogn | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS015 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.5% by land area here, and 73% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 73% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 89.8% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 73% of Butler County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.69 in, 5.40 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 37.09 in.
USDA rates 97% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
89.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 16 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 98.6% of its area, on the September 8, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 99.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 89.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
91 flood losses since 2016, $3.8 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 38. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 25% basements, 25% slabs, 36% crawl spaces, 13% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 10.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 17 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 22 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 38 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 37.09 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.69 in (-5.40) |
| 2025 | 39.32 in (+2.23) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 51.31 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 16.95 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at EL DORADO (3 mi away) | 11.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 27,485 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $217,600 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwood County, KS | 33 mi | 78% | 39% |
| Sedgwick County, KS | 35 mi | 42% | 11% |
| Cowley County, KS | 37 mi | 59% | 12% |
| Harvey County, KS | 38 mi | 69% | 32% |
| Chase County, KS | 39 mi | 71% | 10% |
| Elk County, KS | 39 mi | 70% | 45% |
| Marion County, KS | 43 mi | 80% | 9% |
| Sumner County, KS | 52 mi | 47% | 8% |
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