Gray County, Kansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 42% of Gray County's mapped land, a higher share than 88% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 7%.
89.4% 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. 58% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.
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 Gray County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 42.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 57.8% |
| Mapped soil | 556,045 acres |
How we count · survey areas KS069 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.4% by land area here, and 58% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 42% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 89.4% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 42% of Gray County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.51 in, 3.38 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 20.89 in.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
89.4% 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 27 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 89.4% |
| 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 Gray County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 20.89 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.51 in (-3.38) |
| 2025 | 20.97 in (+0.08) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 31.51 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 7.94 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CIMARRON (8 mi away) | 5.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,354 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $206,000 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finney County, KS | 26 mi | 14% | 5% |
| Haskell County, KS | 27 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Ford County, KS | 31 mi | 56% | 5% |
| Meade County, KS | 35 mi | 35% | 6% |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 38 mi | 51% | 1% |
| Seward County, KS | 45 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Grant County, KS | 48 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Clark County, KS | 50 mi | 18% | 4% |
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