Decatur County, Kansas
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Decatur County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 86% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1953.
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 Decatur County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 49.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.3% |
| Mapped soil | 572,126 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Holdrege | 36% | 0% |
| Uly | 21% | n/a |
| Coly | 16% | n/a |
| Keith | 5% | n/a |
| Bridgeport | 5% | n/a |
| Penden | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS039 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 16.27 in, 5.51 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.78 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Decatur County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 12 weeks, most recently on the June 16, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 17.5% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Decatur County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 21.78 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 16.27 in (-5.51) |
| 2025 | 19.48 in (-2.30) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1965: 34.31 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1910: 11.69 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OBERLIN (4 mi away) | 4.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,634 |
| Median year built | 1953 |
| Built before 1980 | 86% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $89,500 |
| Single-family detached | 93% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Willow County, NE | 27 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Norton County, KS | 30 mi | 2% | 1% |
| Sheridan County, KS | 30 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 33 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Furnas County, NE | 41 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Hitchcock County, NE | 41 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Graham County, KS | 43 mi | 3% | 1% |
| Thomas County, KS | 45 mi | 3% | 3% |
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