Ellis County, Kansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 36% of Ellis County's mapped land, a higher share than 85% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 9 flood losses here since 2016. 64% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Ellis County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 36.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 67.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 44.2% |
| Mapped soil | 576,288 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Harney | 26% | 100% |
| Armo | 15% | n/a |
| Roxbury | 8% | n/a |
| Mento | 7% | n/a |
| Brownell | 6% | n/a |
| Wakeen | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS051 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and 44% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 36% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 25.77 in, 0.80 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 24.97 in.
USDA rates 67% 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 18 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 9 weeks, most recently on the June 2, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 3.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
9 flood losses since 2016, $35,767 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 24.97 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 25.77 in (+0.80) |
| 2025 | 24.78 in (-0.19) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1951: 39.51 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 12.25 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HAYS (3 mi away) | 5.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 13,287 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 64% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $216,300 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 | 27 mi | 60% | 1% |
| Russell County, KS | 29 mi | 40% | 1% |
| Trego County, KS | 29 mi | 26% | 1% |
| Rooks County, KS | 30 mi | 26% | 1% |
| Osborne County, KS | 42 mi | 45% | 1% |
| Barton County, KS | 42 mi | 54% | 10% |
| Graham County, KS | 43 mi | 3% | 1% |
| Ness County, KS | 44 mi | 51% | 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