Dawson County, Nebraska
A shallow water table limits basements on 17% of Dawson County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3%.
35.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 32 flood losses here since 2016, 62% of them in buildings with basements. 68% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1969.
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 Dawson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 16.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 57.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.8% |
| Mapped soil | 652,493 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Uly | 18% | n/a |
| Cozad | 18% | n/a |
| Coly | 14% | n/a |
| Hord | 13% | n/a |
| Hobbs | 7% | n/a |
| Holdrege | 6% | 0% |
How we count · survey areas NE047 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
On 17% of Dawson 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: 18.16 in, 5.26 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 23.42 in.
USDA rates 58% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
35.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 39 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 weeks, most recently on the August 18, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 50.4% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 35.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 22.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
32 flood losses since 2016, $247,967 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 31. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 62% basements, 10% slabs, 19% crawl spaces, 10% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 31 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 23.42 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 18.16 in (-5.26) |
| 2025 | 23.14 in (-0.28) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 37.01 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2012: 11.00 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CANADAY STEAM PLT (13 mi away) | 5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,958 |
| Median year built | 1969 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $166,200 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gosper County, NE | 25 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Phelps County, NE | 32 mi | 11% | 9% |
| Custer County, NE | 37 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Buffalo County, NE | 39 mi | 6% | 12% |
| Frontier County, NE | 39 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Furnas County, NE | 47 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Lincoln County, NE | 50 mi | 1% | 11% |
| Sherman County, NE | 50 mi | under 1% | 9% |
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