Republic County, Kansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 69% of Republic County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 86% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1945.
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 Republic County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 69.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 62.0% |
| Mapped soil | 460,787 acres |
How we count · survey areas KS157 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.2% by land area here, and 62% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 69% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 28.26 in, 0.92 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 29.18 in.
USDA rates 91% 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 6 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 36.9% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the November 18, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $5,840 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 29.18 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 28.26 in (-0.92) |
| 2025 | 26.51 in (-2.67) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 46.63 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 14.33 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BELLEVILLE (1 mi away) | 8.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,661 |
| Median year built | 1945 |
| Built before 1980 | 86% |
| Built 2000 or later | 4% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $75,600 |
| Single-family detached | 89% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud County, KS | 24 mi | 59% | 1% |
| Thayer County, NE | 24 mi | 68% | 6% |
| Washington County, KS | 30 mi | 67% | 6% |
| Jewell County, KS | 31 mi | 50% | 2% |
| Nuckolls County, NE | 32 mi | 67% | 7% |
| Jefferson County, NE | 36 mi | 65% | 15% |
| Clay County, KS | 42 mi | 67% | 2% |
| Mitchell County, KS | 42 mi | 58% | 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