Finney County, Kansas
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 14% of Finney County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 5%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 27.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 54% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Finney County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 14.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 41.9% |
| Mapped soil | 833,741 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Richfield | 30% | 12% |
| Ulysses | 16% | n/a |
| Valent | 14% | n/a |
| Vona | 5% | n/a |
| Spearville | 4% | n/a |
| Beeler | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS055 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 18.07 in, 1.77 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 19.84 in.
USDA rates 73% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 14% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Finney County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
27.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 30 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 13 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 66.4% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 27.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $10,019 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 19.84 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 18.07 in (-1.77) |
| 2025 | 20.87 in (+1.03) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1944: 28.98 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 7.33 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GARDEN CITY EXP STN (6 mi away) | 4.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 14,355 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $201,400 |
| Single-family detached | 61% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gray County, KS | 26 mi | 42% | 7% |
| Kearny County, KS | 31 mi | 3% | 7% |
| Scott County, KS | 31 mi | 7% | 3% |
| Lane County, KS | 33 mi | 36% | 3% |
| Haskell County, KS | 35 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Wichita County, KS | 44 mi | 4% | 2% |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 46 mi | 51% | 1% |
| Grant County, KS | 46 mi | 2% | 2% |
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