Vernon County, Missouri
A shallow water table limits basements on 63% of Vernon County's mapped land, a higher share than 76% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 54%.
98.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses here since 2016. 55% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.
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 Vernon County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 53.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 62.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 20.0% |
| Mapped soil | 536,505 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Barden | 22% | n/a |
| Parsons | 15% | n/a |
| Barco | 14% | n/a |
| Osage | 5% | n/a |
| Hector | 5% | n/a |
| Bolivar | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MO217 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 20% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 54% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 98.2% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 54% of Vernon County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 63% of Vernon 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: 37.41 in, 6.82 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.23 in.
USDA rates 99% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
98.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 16 weeks, most recently on the September 8, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 98.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 64.6% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4 flood losses since 2016, $38,147 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.23 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 37.41 in (-6.82) |
| 2025 | 42.57 in (-1.66) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 63.92 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 23.35 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEVADA WTP (2 mi away) | 13.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,928 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $158,800 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barton County, MO | 24 mi | 54% | 69% |
| Bourbon County, KS | 28 mi | 69% | 58% |
| Cedar County, MO | 28 mi | 11% | 49% |
| Bates County, MO | 28 mi | 70% | 75% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 33 mi | 23% | 33% |
| Crawford County, KS | 37 mi | 67% | 79% |
| Linn County, KS | 37 mi | 78% | 61% |
| Dade County, MO | 39 mi | 17% | 45% |
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