Dodge County, Nebraska
A shallow water table limits basements on 41% of Dodge County's mapped land, a higher share than 59% of US counties and the 9th highest of 93 Nebraska counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 364 flood losses here since 2016, 55% of them in buildings with basements. 68% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1967.
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 Dodge County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 21.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 41.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 23.6% |
| Mapped soil | 348,115 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Moody | 31% | 0% |
| Luton | 10% | n/a |
| Gibbon | 8% | n/a |
| Nora variant | 7% | n/a |
| Zook | 6% | n/a |
| Alcester | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE053 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 24% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.
On 41% of Dodge 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: 26.93 in, 3.37 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 30.30 in.
USDA rates 94% 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 25 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 weeks, most recently on the August 4, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
364 flood losses since 2016, $9.3 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 285. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 55% basements, 25% slabs, 12% crawl spaces, 8% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 15 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 66 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 285 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 30.30 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 26.93 in (-3.37) |
| 2025 | 33.85 in (+3.55) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 42.42 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 15.52 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FREMONT (14 mi away) | 7.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 16,725 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $208,600 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NE | 22 mi | 20% | 16% |
| Colfax County, NE | 23 mi | 10% | 20% |
| Saunders County, NE | 24 mi | 54% | 24% |
| Cuming County, NE | 25 mi | 13% | 19% |
| Burt County, NE | 25 mi | 32% | 30% |
| Douglas County, NE | 32 mi | 3% | 19% |
| Butler County, NE | 35 mi | 57% | 21% |
| Stanton County, NE | 36 mi | 4% | 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