Kearny County, Kansas
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Kearny County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 7%, 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. 61% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1972.
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 Kearny County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 75.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 28.3% |
| Mapped soil | 557,158 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Richfield | 27% | 12% |
| Ulysses | 24% | n/a |
| Valent | 19% | n/a |
| Colby | 6% | n/a |
| Vona | 5% | n/a |
| Goshen | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS093 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 19.14 in, 0.41 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 18.73 in.
USDA rates 76% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 7% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Kearny 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 28 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 | 22% |
| 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 Kearny County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.73 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 19.14 in (+0.41) |
| 2025 | 20.00 in (+1.27) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1923: 27.27 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 6.81 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LAKIN (5 mi away) | 4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,578 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 61% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $200,900 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, KS | 26 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Grant County, KS | 31 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Finney County, KS | 31 mi | 14% | 5% |
| Wichita County, KS | 34 mi | 4% | 2% |
| Haskell County, KS | 38 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Stanton County, KS | 40 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Scott County, KS | 40 mi | 7% | 3% |
| Greeley County, KS | 43 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