Sumner County, Kansas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 47% of Sumner County's mapped land, a higher share than 90% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 8%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 66 flood losses here since 2016, 14% of them in buildings with basements. 68% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1962.
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 Sumner County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 47.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 47.3% |
| Mapped soil | 758,124 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Bethany | 22% | n/a |
| Kirkland | 10% | n/a |
| Milan | 8% | n/a |
| Nalim | 6% | n/a |
| Farnum | 6% | n/a |
| Elandco | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas KS191 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% by land area here, and 47% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 47% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 47% of Sumner County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.24 in, 1.87 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.11 in.
USDA rates 78% 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 25 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 9 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 | 21.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
66 flood losses since 2016, $1.7 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 39. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 14% basements, 29% slabs, 50% crawl spaces, 7% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 16 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 39 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 21 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 35.11 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.24 in (-1.87) |
| 2025 | 44.58 in (+9.47) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 50.72 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 15.14 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WELLINGTON (5 mi away) | 10.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,414 |
| Median year built | 1962 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $135,100 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedgwick County, KS | 31 mi | 42% | 11% |
| Harper County, KS | 32 mi | 10% | 12% |
| Kay County, OK | 35 mi | 59% | 19% |
| Grant County, OK | 35 mi | 48% | 10% |
| Cowley County, KS | 36 mi | 59% | 12% |
| Kingman County, KS | 42 mi | 8% | 11% |
| Butler County, KS | 52 mi | 73% | 8% |
| Harvey County, KS | 56 mi | 69% | 32% |
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