Marion County, Kansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 80% of Marion County's mapped land, a higher share than 99% of US counties and the 6th highest of 105 Kansas counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 9%.
16.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 74% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1957.
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 Marion County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 79.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 71.9% |
| Mapped soil | 610,598 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Irwin | 28% | n/a |
| Clime | 16% | n/a |
| Verdigris | 8% | n/a |
| Wells | 6% | n/a |
| Labette | 6% | n/a |
| Sogn | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS115 (2025-08-26)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.9% by land area here, and 72% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 80% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 16.3% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 80% of Marion County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 28.87 in, 5.51 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 34.38 in.
USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
16.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 50.7% of its area, in 9 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 35.5% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 16.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 4.4% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
7 flood losses since 2016, $226,371 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 34.38 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 28.87 in (-5.51) |
| 2025 | 37.09 in (+2.71) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1951: 56.16 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 17.16 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MARION RSVR (2 mi away) | 9.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,693 |
| Median year built | 1957 |
| Built before 1980 | 74% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $124,200 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase County, KS | 28 mi | 71% | 10% |
| Harvey County, KS | 28 mi | 69% | 32% |
| McPherson County, KS | 30 mi | 72% | 18% |
| Morris County, KS | 33 mi | 82% | 10% |
| Dickinson County, KS | 35 mi | 81% | 3% |
| Saline County, KS | 42 mi | 52% | 5% |
| Butler County, KS | 43 mi | 73% | 8% |
| Geary County, KS | 48 mi | 71% | 6% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 26, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status