Taney County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 43% of Taney County's mapped land, a higher share than 61% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 72 flood losses here since 2016, 18% of them in buildings with basements. 25% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1995.
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 Taney County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 43.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 33.1% |
| Mapped soil | 416,871 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Gasconade | 20% | n/a |
| Ocie | 19% | n/a |
| Gatewood | 19% | n/a |
| Knobby | 6% | n/a |
| Cedargap | 3% | n/a |
| Rueter | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO213 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 33% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of Taney County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 43% of Taney 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: 38.75 in, 7.37 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 46.12 in.
USDA rates 93% 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 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 17 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 | 95% |
| D4 exceptional | 15.2% |
Flood losses since 2016
72 flood losses since 2016, $2.6 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 64. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 18% basements, 9% slabs, 18% crawl spaces, 55% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 32 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 64 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 46.12 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.75 in (-7.37) |
| 2025 | 45.51 in (-0.61) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2008: 66.31 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 24.36 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OZARK BEACH (4 mi away) | 13.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 30,175 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 25% |
| Built 2000 or later | 38% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $218,800 |
| Single-family detached | 52% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian County, MO | 23 mi | 10% | 42% |
| Stone County, MO | 24 mi | 8% | 17% |
| Boone County, AR | 24 mi | 19% | 23% |
| Ozark County, MO | 32 mi | 36% | 43% |
| Marion County, AR | 33 mi | 24% | 13% |
| Carroll County, AR | 35 mi | 22% | 16% |
| Douglas County, MO | 36 mi | 18% | 48% |
| Barry County, MO | 44 mi | 9% | 44% |
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