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Adams County, Nebraska

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 40% of Adams County's mapped land, a higher share than 87% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 7%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 69% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1967.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

40%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

7%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

69%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Adams County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)40.4%
High water table (limits basements)7.1%
Septic fields very limited76.8%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.3%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)37.5%
Mapped soil361,126 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Hastings27%98%
Holder22%n/a
Kenesaw11%n/a
Crete6%100%
Hord5%n/a
Hobbs4%n/a
Webster County: 19%Kearney County: 16%Clay County: 83%Hall County: 24%Nuckolls County: 67%Franklin County: 5%Hamilton County: 78%Buffalo County: 6%Adams County WebsterKearneyClayHallNuckollsFranklinHamiltonBuffaloAdams
Adams County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas NE001 (2025-09-03)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.3% by land area here, and 38% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 40% of the mapped land.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 24.63 in, 2.37 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 27.00 in.

USDA rates 77% 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 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 14 weeks, most recently on the June 2, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

7 flood losses since 2016, $251,096 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 3.

YearFlood losses
20160
20172
20180
20193
20200
20211
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202027.00 in
12 months to August 202624.63 in (-2.37)
202524.49 in (-2.51)
Wettest year since 18951993: 41.17 in
Driest year since 18951936: 12.38 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HASTINGS 4N (11 mi away)6.8

Homes

Housing units13,934
Median year built1967
Built before 198069%
Built 2000 or later16%
Owner-occupied70%
Median value, owner-occupied$193,100
Single-family detached72%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Webster County, NE 23 mi 19% 3%
Kearney County, NE 24 mi 16% 17%
Clay County, NE 24 mi 83% 17%
Hall County, NE 24 mi 24% 28%
Nuckolls County, NE 34 mi 67% 7%
Franklin County, NE 34 mi 5% 5%
Hamilton County, NE 35 mi 78% 11%
Buffalo County, NE 38 mi 6% 12%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 3, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status