Nodaway County, Missouri
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 79% of Nodaway County's mapped land, a higher share than 99% of US counties and the 9th highest of 115 Missouri counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 62%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 56% 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 Nodaway County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 79.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 61.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 44.2% |
| Mapped soil | 560,198 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby | 33% | n/a |
| Sharpsburg | 20% | 98% |
| Lamoni | 12% | n/a |
| Colo | 6% | n/a |
| Higginsville | 5% | n/a |
| Zook | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO147 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% by land area here, and 44% 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 62% of Nodaway 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: 34.17 in, 2.66 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 36.83 in.
USDA rates 98% 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 7 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently 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
1 flood losses since 2016, $10,000 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 36.83 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.17 in (-2.66) |
| 2025 | 28.34 in (-8.49) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 61.08 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1988: 16.50 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MARYVILLE 2E (3 mi away) | 10.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,536 |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $177,500 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holt County, MO | 25 mi | 30% | 41% |
| Worth County, MO | 26 mi | 41% | 58% |
| Andrew County, MO | 26 mi | 48% | 58% |
| Gentry County, MO | 27 mi | 68% | 71% |
| Taylor County, IA | 28 mi | 85% | 83% |
| Page County, IA | 30 mi | 63% | 63% |
| Atchison County, MO | 30 mi | 30% | 36% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 41 mi | 78% | 83% |
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