Frontier County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Frontier County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 23.8% 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. 79% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1956.
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 Frontier County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 66.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.3% |
| Mapped soil | 626,963 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Holdrege | 29% | 0% |
| Coly | 29% | n/a |
| Uly | 19% | n/a |
| Hall | 9% | n/a |
| Hobbs | 4% | n/a |
| Sulco | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE063 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.30 in, 4.69 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.99 in.
USDA rates 66% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Frontier County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
23.8% 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 33 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 96.2% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 23.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 5.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Frontier County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 21.99 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.30 in (-4.69) |
| 2025 | 22.57 in (+0.58) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 36.94 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2012: 10.62 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at STOCKVILLE (1 mi away) | 5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,350 |
| Median year built | 1956 |
| Built before 1980 | 79% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $149,800 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Willow County, NE | 25 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Gosper County, NE | 31 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Hayes County, NE | 34 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Furnas County, NE | 35 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Dawson County, NE | 39 mi | 3% | 17% |
| Lincoln County, NE | 40 mi | 1% | 11% |
| Hitchcock County, NE | 42 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Decatur County, KS | 52 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