Cherokee County, Kansas
A shallow water table limits basements on 80% of Cherokee County's mapped land, a higher share than 89% of US counties and the highest of 105 Kansas counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 52%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses here since 2016. 67% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1966.
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 Cherokee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 52.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 80.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 97.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 38.2% |
| Mapped soil | 378,675 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Dennis | 22% | 100% |
| Parsons | 21% | n/a |
| Hepler | 13% | n/a |
| Bates | 7% | n/a |
| Taloka | 4% | n/a |
| Cherokee | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS021 (2025-08-26)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.7% by land area here, and 38% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 52% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 52% of Cherokee County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 80% of Cherokee 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: 40.77 in, 4.53 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.30 in.
USDA rates 97% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 32 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 23 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 95.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
6 flood losses since 2016, $189,042 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.30 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.77 in (-4.53) |
| 2025 | 42.30 in (-3.00) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 65.77 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 20.21 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COLUMBUS (1 mi away) | 14.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,129 |
| Median year built | 1966 |
| Built before 1980 | 67% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $100,100 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, OK | 23 mi | 31% | 51% |
| Crawford County, KS | 23 mi | 67% | 79% |
| Labette County, KS | 25 mi | 75% | 72% |
| Jasper County, MO | 28 mi | 35% | 48% |
| Newton County, MO | 33 mi | 6% | 65% |
| Craig County, OK | 34 mi | 53% | 58% |
| Barton County, MO | 36 mi | 54% | 69% |
| Neosho County, KS | 38 mi | 72% | 64% |
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