Scott County, Kansas
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 7% of Scott County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 3%, 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. 83% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1959.
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 Scott County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 48.2% |
| Mapped soil | 459,341 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Richfield | 41% | 12% |
| Ulysses | 26% | n/a |
| Keith | 4% | n/a |
| Kuma | 4% | n/a |
| Colby | 3% | n/a |
| Lubbock | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS171 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 20.72 in, 1.37 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 19.35 in.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Scott 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 27 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 9 weeks, most recently on the June 16, 2026 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
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Scott County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 19.35 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 20.72 in (+1.37) |
| 2025 | 21.29 in (+1.94) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1923: 33.74 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2022: 8.24 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SCOTT CITY (1 mi away) | 4.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,334 |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $160,000 |
| Single-family detached | 88% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita County, KS | 24 mi | 4% | 2% |
| Lane County, KS | 24 mi | 36% | 3% |
| Finney County, KS | 31 mi | 14% | 5% |
| Logan County, KS | 32 mi | 5% | 2% |
| Gove County, KS | 38 mi | 11% | 1% |
| Kearny County, KS | 40 mi | 3% | 7% |
| Greeley County, KS | 49 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Ness County, KS | 54 mi | 51% | 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