Seward County, Kansas
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 9% of Seward County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 3%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 86.1% 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. 60% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Seward County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 41.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 24.8% |
| Mapped soil | 409,856 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Richfield | 18% | 12% |
| Dalhart | 16% | n/a |
| Eva | 9% | n/a |
| Optima | 7% | n/a |
| Spearville | 5% | n/a |
| Otero | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS175 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 14.65 in, 5.27 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 19.92 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 9% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Seward County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
86.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 86.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 23.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $63,652 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 19.92 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 14.65 in (-5.27) |
| 2025 | 20.47 in (+0.55) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 39.01 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 7.72 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LIBERAL (10 mi away) | 5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,308 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $136,500 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevens County, KS | 26 mi | 6% | 1% |
| Haskell County, KS | 27 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Meade County, KS | 27 mi | 35% | 6% |
| Beaver County, OK | 36 mi | 6% | 7% |
| Grant County, KS | 36 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Gray County, KS | 45 mi | 42% | 7% |
| Texas County, OK | 46 mi | 30% | 3% |
| Morton County, KS | 53 mi | 2% | 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