Gage County, Nebraska
A shallow water table limits basements on 88% of Gage County's mapped land, a higher share than 94% of US counties and the highest of 93 Nebraska counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 81%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses here since 2016. 74% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1961.
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 Gage County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 80.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 87.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 76.1% |
| Mapped soil | 550,188 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Wymore | 34% | 100% |
| Otoe | 17% | n/a |
| Malmo | 15% | n/a |
| Nodaway | 9% | n/a |
| Pawnee | 7% | n/a |
| Judson | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE067 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.2% by land area here, and 76% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 81% of the mapped land.
On 88% of Gage 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: 32.80 in, 1.07 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 31.73 in.
USDA rates 99% 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 8 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 68.9% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the April 7, 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
4 flood losses since 2016, $65,015 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.73 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.80 in (+1.07) |
| 2025 | 26.65 in (-5.08) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 47.57 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1974: 17.58 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BEATRICE 1N (5 mi away) | 7.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,399 |
| Median year built | 1961 |
| Built before 1980 | 74% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $174,000 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, NE | 24 mi | 69% | 74% |
| Pawnee County, NE | 25 mi | 70% | 65% |
| Jefferson County, NE | 25 mi | 65% | 15% |
| Saline County, NE | 30 mi | 79% | 11% |
| Marshall County, KS | 34 mi | 72% | 73% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 37 mi | 73% | 51% |
| Otoe County, NE | 39 mi | 71% | 65% |
| Washington County, KS | 40 mi | 67% | 6% |
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