Daviess County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 87% of Daviess County's mapped land, a higher share than 94% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 79%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 55% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1977.
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 Daviess County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 78.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 87.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 99.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 74.7% |
| Mapped soil | 364,026 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Lamoni | 17% | n/a |
| Grundy | 14% | n/a |
| Zook | 12% | n/a |
| Greenton | 9% | n/a |
| Nodaway | 8% | n/a |
| Lagonda | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO061 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.8% by land area here, and 75% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 79% of the mapped land.
On 87% of Daviess 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: 34.51 in, 4.73 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 39.24 in.
USDA rates 99% 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 10 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 99.7% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the November 18, 2025 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
3 flood losses since 2016, $25,131 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 39.24 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.51 in (-4.73) |
| 2025 | 33.52 in (-5.72) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 60.48 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1988: 19.99 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PATTONSBURG 2S (9 mi away) | 10.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,122 |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $161,800 |
| Single-family detached | 82% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell County, MO | 21 mi | 79% | 96% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 24 mi | 78% | 83% |
| Grundy County, MO | 24 mi | 75% | 78% |
| Livingston County, MO | 26 mi | 76% | 98% |
| Harrison County, MO | 26 mi | 66% | 68% |
| Gentry County, MO | 29 mi | 68% | 71% |
| Clinton County, MO | 33 mi | 78% | 77% |
| Mercer County, MO | 38 mi | 79% | 62% |
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