Harlan County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 2% of Harlan County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None 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. 69% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1965.
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 Harlan County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 46.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.0% |
| Mapped soil | 367,373 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Holdrege | 41% | 0% |
| Coly | 16% | n/a |
| Uly | 15% | n/a |
| Hobbs | 7% | n/a |
| Nuckolls | 5% | n/a |
| Hord | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE083 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 21.15 in, 3.94 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 25.09 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Harlan County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 20 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 60.3% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| 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 Harlan County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 25.09 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 21.15 in (-3.94) |
| 2025 | 22.00 in (-3.09) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 38.88 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 13.90 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HARLAN CO LAKE (12 mi away) | 5.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,884 |
| Median year built | 1965 |
| Built before 1980 | 69% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 86% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $145,800 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
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 | 23 mi | 11% | 9% |
| Franklin County, NE | 23 mi | 5% | 5% |
| Furnas County, NE | 27 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Phillips County, KS | 27 mi | 6% | 1% |
| Gosper County, NE | 32 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Kearney County, NE | 33 mi | 16% | 17% |
| Norton County, KS | 38 mi | 2% | 1% |
| Smith County, KS | 43 mi | 24% | 1% |
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