Stone County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 17% of Stone County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 8%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 21 flood losses here since 2016. 30% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1992.
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 Stone County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 16.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 65.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 11.3% |
| Mapped soil | 326,848 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Hailey | 15% | n/a |
| Rueter | 14% | n/a |
| Scholten | 7% | n/a |
| Clarksville | 6% | 0% |
| Sonsac | 6% | n/a |
| Gasconade | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO209 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
On 17% of Stone 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: 36.83 in, 8.96 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.79 in.
USDA rates 65% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 19 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 100% |
| D4 exceptional | 67.7% |
Flood losses since 2016
21 flood losses since 2016, $858,854 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 16.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 16 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.83 in (-8.96) |
| 2025 | 38.61 in (-7.18) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2008: 67.48 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 25.63 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OZARK BEACH (20 mi away) | 13.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 20,464 |
| Median year built | 1992 |
| Built before 1980 | 30% |
| Built 2000 or later | 31% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $249,000 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry County, MO | 21 mi | 9% | 44% |
| Christian County, MO | 21 mi | 10% | 42% |
| Taney County, MO | 24 mi | 23% | 43% |
| Carroll County, AR | 29 mi | 22% | 16% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 32 mi | 8% | 68% |
| Greene County, MO | 36 mi | 9% | 49% |
| Boone County, AR | 37 mi | 19% | 23% |
| Webster County, MO | 49 mi | 20% | 68% |
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