Ripley County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 33% of Ripley County's mapped land, a higher share than 52% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16%.
92.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 77 flood losses here since 2016, 4% of them in buildings with basements. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Ripley County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 32.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.6% |
| Mapped soil | 404,243 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Clarksville | 16% | 0% |
| Doniphan | 15% | n/a |
| Captina | 11% | n/a |
| Poynor | 10% | n/a |
| Midco | 7% | n/a |
| Loring | 6% | 99% |
How we count · survey areas MO181 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.5% by land area here, and 3% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 16% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 92.2% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 16% of Ripley County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 33% of Ripley 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: 33.16 in, 16.93 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.09 in.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
92.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 92.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 2.6% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
77 flood losses since 2016, $9.1 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 66. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 4% basements, 7% slabs, 11% crawl spaces, 78% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 111.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 66 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.09 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.16 in (-16.93) |
| 2025 | 45.67 in (-4.42) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1927: 73.25 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 27.50 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DONIPHAN (4 mi away) | 15 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,168 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $119,600 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, MO | 21 mi | 2% | 18% |
| Randolph County, AR | 23 mi | 40% | 40% |
| Butler County, MO | 26 mi | 8% | 70% |
| Oregon County, MO | 30 mi | 11% | 33% |
| Clay County, AR | 32 mi | 21% | 81% |
| Wayne County, MO | 40 mi | 5% | 32% |
| Greene County, AR | 40 mi | 21% | 77% |
| Lawrence County, AR | 43 mi | 29% | 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