Hall County, Nebraska
A shallow water table limits basements on 28% of Hall County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 24%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 20 flood losses here since 2016. 59% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Hall County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 28.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 23.6% |
| Mapped soil | 353,452 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 8% | n/a |
| Hall | 8% | n/a |
| Valentine | 7% | 0% |
| Wood River | 6% | n/a |
| Gates | 4% | n/a |
| Hord | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE079 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.8% 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 24% of the mapped land.
On 28% of Hall 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: 25.01 in, 2.15 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 27.16 in.
USDA rates 87% 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 39 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 15 weeks, most recently on the June 9, 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
20 flood losses since 2016, $410,322 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 18.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 18 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 27.16 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 25.01 in (-2.15) |
| 2025 | 25.68 in (-1.48) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 39.02 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 13.35 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GRAND ISLAND AP (12 mi away) | 6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 25,569 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 59% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $224,600 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, NE | 24 mi | 40% | 7% |
| Howard County, NE | 24 mi | 2% | 14% |
| Hamilton County, NE | 25 mi | 78% | 11% |
| Buffalo County, NE | 30 mi | 6% | 12% |
| Merrick County, NE | 32 mi | 3% | 53% |
| Clay County, NE | 33 mi | 83% | 17% |
| Kearney County, NE | 34 mi | 16% | 17% |
| Sherman County, NE | 35 mi | under 1% | 9% |
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