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Rush County, Kansas

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 60% of Rush County's mapped land, a higher share than 94% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.

None 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. 87% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1948.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

60%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

1%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

87%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Rush County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)60.1%
High water table (limits basements)0.9%
Septic fields very limited79.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)57.9%
Mapped soil459,514 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Harney57%100%
Uly12%n/a
Wakeen10%n/a
Roxbury9%n/a
Nibson2%n/a
Corinth2%n/a
Pawnee County: 49%Ellis County: 36%Barton County: 54%Ness County: 51%Russell County: 40%Trego County: 26%Hodgeman County: 51%Edwards County: 25%Rush County PawneeEllisBartonNessRussellTregoHodgemanEdwardsRush
Rush County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas KS165 (2025-08-27)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.6% 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 60% of the mapped land.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 23.10 in, 1.59 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 24.69 in.

USDA rates 79% 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 27 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse60%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

3 flood losses since 2016, $7,612 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.

YearFlood losses
20160
20171
20180
20192
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202024.69 in
12 months to August 202623.10 in (-1.59)
202526.77 in (+2.08)
Wettest year since 18951973: 36.60 in
Driest year since 18951956: 12.25 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LORETTA 1W (11 mi away)5.9

Homes

Housing units1,679
Median year built1948
Built before 198087%
Built 2000 or later6%
Owner-occupied78%
Median value, owner-occupied$83,600
Single-family detached93%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Pawnee County, KS 24 mi 49% 9%
Ellis County, KS 27 mi 36% 1%
Barton County, KS 29 mi 54% 10%
Ness County, KS 33 mi 51% 1%
Russell County, KS 40 mi 40% 1%
Trego County, KS 41 mi 26% 1%
Hodgeman County, KS 44 mi 51% 1%
Edwards County, KS 44 mi 25% 15%

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