Crawford County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 34% of Crawford County's mapped land, a higher share than 53% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 15%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 69.5% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 47 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 Crawford County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 34.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 19.1% |
| Mapped soil | 475,872 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Alred | 12% | n/a |
| Rueter | 11% | n/a |
| Bender | 8% | n/a |
| Goss | 7% | 0% |
| Union | 6% | n/a |
| Lily | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO055 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.9% by land area here, and 19% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 15% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 15% of Crawford County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 34% of Crawford 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: 43.37 in, 1.38 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.75 in.
USDA rates 94% 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 23 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 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 | 7.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
47 flood losses since 2016, $3.1 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 22. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 50% slabs, 17% crawl spaces, 33% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 68 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 22 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 19 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.75 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.37 in (-1.38) |
| 2025 | 40.05 in (-4.70) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 63.04 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1953: 22.75 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROLLA MISSOURI S&T (25 mi away) | 12.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,416 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $172,600 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, MO | 23 mi | 27% | 25% |
| Phelps County, MO | 27 mi | 15% | 53% |
| Dent County, MO | 27 mi | 1% | 44% |
| Franklin County, MO | 33 mi | 14% | 61% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 34 mi | 37% | 76% |
| Maries County, MO | 36 mi | 29% | 70% |
| Iron County, MO | 41 mi | 8% | 42% |
| Osage County, MO | 45 mi | 29% | 70% |
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