Bates County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 75% of Bates County's mapped land, a higher share than 85% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 70%.
15.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses here since 2016. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.
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 Bates County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 69.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 74.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 66.7% |
| Mapped soil | 544,365 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Kenoma | 31% | over 99% |
| Eram | 9% | n/a |
| Summit | 8% | n/a |
| Verdigris | 7% | n/a |
| Osage | 6% | n/a |
| Hartwell | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO013 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.5% by land area here, and 67% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 70% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 15.5% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 70% of Bates County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 75% of Bates 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: 41.73 in, 1.42 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 43.15 in.
USDA rates 99% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
15.5% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 14 weeks, most recently on the September 8, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 15.5% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
8 flood losses since 2016, $125,565 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 43.15 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 41.73 in (-1.42) |
| 2025 | 39.58 in (-3.57) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1951: 62.47 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1980: 23.82 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BUTLER 4W (4 mi away) | 12.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,192 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $170,800 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County, MO | 27 mi | 68% | 80% |
| Linn County, KS | 28 mi | 78% | 61% |
| Vernon County, MO | 28 mi | 54% | 63% |
| Henry County, MO | 31 mi | 34% | 60% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 34 mi | 23% | 33% |
| Miami County, KS | 34 mi | 83% | 67% |
| Bourbon County, KS | 39 mi | 69% | 58% |
| Johnson County, MO | 44 mi | 41% | 79% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status