Sherman County, Kansas
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Sherman 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. 77% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1967.
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 Sherman County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 12.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.2% |
| Mapped soil | 676,403 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Keith | 39% | n/a |
| Ulysses | 26% | n/a |
| Buffalo Park | 11% | n/a |
| Colby | 9% | n/a |
| Goshen | 4% | n/a |
| Kuma | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS181 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.16 in, 1.67 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.83 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Sherman 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 5 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 50% |
| 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 Sherman County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.83 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.16 in (-1.67) |
| 2025 | 19.26 in (+0.43) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 31.35 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2012: 10.06 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GOODLAND (1 mi away) | 3.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,936 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 77% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $136,700 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallace County, KS | 29 mi | 4% | 3% |
| Cheyenne County, KS | 30 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Thomas County, KS | 33 mi | 3% | 3% |
| Logan County, KS | 43 mi | 5% | 2% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 46 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Kit Carson County, CO | 47 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Dundy County, NE | 57 mi | under 1% | 3% |
| Yuma County, CO | 58 mi | 5% | 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