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Washington County, Kansas

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 67% of Washington County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 6%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 80% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1953.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

67%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

6%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

80%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Washington County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)67.4%
High water table (limits basements)6.1%
Septic fields very limited93.9%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)7.8%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)63.9%
Mapped soil575,130 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Crete44%100%
Lancaster8%n/a
Hobbs7%n/a
Longford6%n/a
Muir4%n/a
Edalgo4%n/a
Jefferson County: 65%Republic County: 69%Clay County: 67%Marshall County: 72%Cloud County: 59%Thayer County: 68%Riley County: 76%Gage County: 81%Washington County JeffersonRepublicClayMarshallCloudThayerRileyGageWashington
Washington County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas KS201 (2025-08-26)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.8% by land area here, and 64% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 67% of the mapped land.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 36.45 in, 5.31 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 31.14 in.

USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

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 6 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 12.4% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the November 18, 2025 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

1 flood losses since 2016, $1,761 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 1.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202031.14 in
12 months to August 202636.45 in (+5.31)
202527.32 in (-3.82)
Wettest year since 18951993: 50.70 in
Driest year since 18951956: 16.29 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WASHINGTON (3 mi away)8.3

Homes

Housing units2,714
Median year built1953
Built before 198080%
Built 2000 or later9%
Owner-occupied79%
Median value, owner-occupied$117,100
Single-family detached90%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Jefferson County, NE 28 mi 65% 15%
Republic County, KS 30 mi 69% 3%
Clay County, KS 30 mi 67% 2%
Marshall County, KS 31 mi 72% 73%
Cloud County, KS 35 mi 59% 1%
Thayer County, NE 38 mi 68% 6%
Riley County, KS 39 mi 76% 22%
Gage County, NE 40 mi 81% 88%

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