Gasconade County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 76% of Gasconade County's mapped land, a higher share than 85% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 37%.
41.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 0% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 68 flood losses here since 2016, 22% of them in buildings with basements. 57% 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 Gasconade County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 36.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 75.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 49.8% |
| Mapped soil | 335,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Beemont | 24% | n/a |
| Union | 19% | n/a |
| Wrengart | 7% | n/a |
| Gatewood | 7% | n/a |
| Gladden | 5% | n/a |
| Menfro | 3% | 0% |
How we count · survey areas MO073 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.9% by land area here, and 50% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 37% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 41.3% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 37% of Gasconade County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 76% of Gasconade 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: 42.06 in, 1.33 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 43.39 in.
USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
41.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 21 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the February 10, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 41.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
68 flood losses since 2016, $1.8 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 49. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 22% basements, 38% slabs, 6% crawl spaces, 34% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 73 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2017 | 49 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 43.39 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.06 in (-1.33) |
| 2025 | 36.75 in (-6.64) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 68.06 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 23.82 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROSEBUD (7 mi away) | 12.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,574 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 57% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $179,900 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osage County, MO | 19 mi | 29% | 70% |
| Franklin County, MO | 23 mi | 14% | 61% |
| Warren County, MO | 29 mi | 52% | 59% |
| Maries County, MO | 30 mi | 29% | 70% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 34 mi | 67% | 76% |
| Crawford County, MO | 34 mi | 15% | 34% |
| Callaway County, MO | 35 mi | 54% | 63% |
| Cole County, MO | 42 mi | 14% | 69% |
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