Holt County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 41% of Holt County's mapped land, a higher share than 59% 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 266 flood losses here since 2016, 4% of them in buildings with basements. 72% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1965.
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 Holt County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 41.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 21.9% |
| Mapped soil | 300,685 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 10% | 0% |
| Luton | 8% | n/a |
| Leta | 7% | n/a |
| Exira | 6% | n/a |
| Contrary | 5% | n/a |
| Timula | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO087 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.1% by land area here, and 22% 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 41% of Holt 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: 32.16 in, 3.40 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.56 in.
USDA rates 79% 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 98.7% of its area, on the March 31, 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
266 flood losses since 2016, $8.8 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 264. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 4% basements, 10% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 81% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 62.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 264 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 35.56 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.16 in (-3.40) |
| 2025 | 30.98 in (-4.58) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 59.77 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1988: 15.46 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TROY 3N (20 mi away) | 9.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,405 |
| Median year built | 1965 |
| Built before 1980 | 72% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $138,200 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doniphan County, KS | 22 mi | 27% | 15% |
| Andrew County, MO | 23 mi | 48% | 58% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 25 mi | 79% | 62% |
| Atchison County, MO | 26 mi | 30% | 36% |
| Brown County, KS | 26 mi | 77% | 60% |
| Richardson County, NE | 26 mi | 58% | 42% |
| Buchanan County, MO | 37 mi | 28% | 40% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 39 mi | 58% | 48% |
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