Gosper County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Gosper County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 6.5% 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. 64% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Gosper County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 64.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.2% |
| Mapped soil | 296,230 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Holdrege | 34% | 0% |
| Coly | 23% | n/a |
| Uly | 21% | n/a |
| Hobbs | 7% | n/a |
| Hall | 6% | n/a |
| Cozad | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE073 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 16.16 in, 7.09 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 23.25 in.
USDA rates 64% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Gosper County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
6.5% 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 30 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 64.7% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 6.5% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0.6% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Gosper County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 23.25 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 16.16 in (-7.09) |
| 2025 | 20.69 in (-2.56) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 35.97 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2012: 12.07 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ELWOOD 8 S (4 mi away) | 5.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,212 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 64% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $228,500 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phelps County, NE | 22 mi | 11% | 9% |
| Furnas County, NE | 22 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Dawson County, NE | 25 mi | 3% | 17% |
| Frontier County, NE | 31 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Harlan County, NE | 32 mi | 2% | 1% |
| Red Willow County, NE | 41 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Buffalo County, NE | 46 mi | 6% | 12% |
| Kearney County, NE | 46 mi | 16% | 17% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 8, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status