Atchison County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 36% of Atchison County's mapped land, a higher share than 55% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 21 flood losses here since 2016. 82% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1957.
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 Atchison County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 29.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 36.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.8% |
| Mapped soil | 349,280 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 17% | 0% |
| Shelby | 9% | n/a |
| Monona | 8% | n/a |
| Colo | 7% | n/a |
| Contrary | 5% | n/a |
| Ida | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO005 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 17% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
On 36% of Atchison County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 32.22 in, 2.21 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 34.43 in.
USDA rates 77% 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 4 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the April 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
21 flood losses since 2016, $2.3 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 21.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 21 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 34.43 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.22 in (-2.21) |
| 2025 | 29.74 in (-4.69) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 57.11 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1988: 15.70 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at AUBURN 5 ESE (17 mi away) | 8.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,726 |
| Median year built | 1957 |
| Built before 1980 | 82% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $106,800 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemaha County, NE | 22 mi | 58% | 48% |
| Fremont County, IA | 23 mi | 22% | 39% |
| Holt County, MO | 26 mi | 30% | 41% |
| Richardson County, NE | 26 mi | 58% | 42% |
| Page County, IA | 26 mi | 63% | 63% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 30 mi | 79% | 62% |
| Otoe County, NE | 39 mi | 71% | 65% |
| Brown County, KS | 42 mi | 77% | 60% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status