Dundy County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Dundy County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 3%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 66.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 81% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1948.
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 Dundy County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 66.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.3% |
| Mapped soil | 589,261 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Valent | 44% | n/a |
| Sulco | 12% | n/a |
| Blackwood | 8% | n/a |
| Sarben | 6% | n/a |
| Dailey | 6% | n/a |
| Jayem | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE057 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.72 in, 1.14 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.86 in.
USDA rates 67% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Dundy County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
66.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 20 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 66.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Dundy County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.86 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.72 in (-1.14) |
| 2025 | 21.80 in (+2.94) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 30.57 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2002: 10.73 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BENKELMAN 1N (11 mi away) | 3.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 995 |
| Median year built | 1948 |
| Built before 1980 | 81% |
| Built 2000 or later | 5% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $143,400 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase County, NE | 24 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Cheyenne County, KS | 27 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Hitchcock County, NE | 34 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Yuma County, CO | 41 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Hayes County, NE | 41 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 42 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Phillips County, CO | 45 mi | 1% | under 1% |
| Perkins County, NE | 47 mi | 2% | 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