Sedgwick County, Kansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 42% of Sedgwick County's mapped land, a higher share than 88% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 11%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 159 flood losses here since 2016, 69% of them in buildings with basements. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Sedgwick County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 42.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 44.6% |
| Urban land, not rated | 3.5% |
| Mapped soil | 645,465 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Blanket | 13% | n/a |
| Nalim | 9% | n/a |
| Irwin | 7% | n/a |
| Elandco | 6% | n/a |
| Vanoss | 5% | n/a |
| Farnum | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS173 (2025-08-26)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.3% by land area here, and 45% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 42% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 42% of Sedgwick County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 30.59 in, 3.90 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 34.49 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 14 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
159 flood losses since 2016, $3.7 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 66. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 69% basements, 6% slabs, 15% crawl spaces, 9% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 9 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 66 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 39 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 8 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 27 |
| 2026 to date | 7 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 34.49 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 30.59 in (-3.90) |
| 2025 | 40.04 in (+5.55) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1951: 46.77 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1966: 13.86 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WICHITA (2 mi away) | 10.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 227,638 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $203,300 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey County, KS | 26 mi | 69% | 32% |
| Sumner County, KS | 31 mi | 47% | 8% |
| Butler County, KS | 35 mi | 73% | 8% |
| Reno County, KS | 38 mi | 14% | 20% |
| Kingman County, KS | 38 mi | 8% | 11% |
| Cowley County, KS | 46 mi | 59% | 12% |
| Harper County, KS | 48 mi | 10% | 12% |
| McPherson County, KS | 50 mi | 72% | 18% |
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