Buffalo County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 6% of Buffalo County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 12%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 48 flood losses here since 2016. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Buffalo County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 63.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.6% |
| Mapped soil | 621,766 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Coly | 23% | n/a |
| Holdrege | 13% | 0% |
| Uly | 11% | n/a |
| Hord | 10% | n/a |
| Hobbs | 9% | n/a |
| Hall | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE019 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 21.13 in, 4.77 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 25.90 in.
USDA rates 63% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on 12% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Buffalo County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 18 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 5.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
48 flood losses since 2016, $7.1 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 46. Median water depth outside the building: 13 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 46 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 25.90 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 21.13 in (-4.77) |
| 2025 | 25.79 in (-0.11) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 38.83 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 12.98 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at KEARNEY 4 NE (10 mi away) | 6.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 21,286 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $246,400 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kearney County, NE | 25 mi | 16% | 17% |
| Sherman County, NE | 26 mi | under 1% | 9% |
| Phelps County, NE | 29 mi | 11% | 9% |
| Hall County, NE | 30 mi | 24% | 28% |
| Adams County, NE | 38 mi | 40% | 7% |
| Howard County, NE | 38 mi | 2% | 14% |
| Dawson County, NE | 39 mi | 3% | 17% |
| Gosper County, NE | 46 mi | 3% | 2% |
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