Hayes County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 5% of Hayes County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 52.4% 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. 83% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1946.
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 Hayes County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 47.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.3% |
| Mapped soil | 456,647 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sulco | 31% | n/a |
| Blackwood | 18% | n/a |
| Sarben | 17% | n/a |
| McCash | 8% | n/a |
| Ulysses | 6% | n/a |
| Valent | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE085 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.98 in, 2.80 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 20.78 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 5% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hayes County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
52.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 23 weeks, most recently on the June 30, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 52.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 5.6% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Hayes County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 20.78 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.98 in (-2.80) |
| 2025 | 24.40 in (+3.62) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 36.97 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2002: 10.06 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HAYES CENTER 1NW (1 mi away) | 4.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 487 |
| Median year built | 1946 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $128,100 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hitchcock County, NE | 25 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Frontier County, NE | 34 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Chase County, NE | 34 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Perkins County, NE | 38 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Lincoln County, NE | 39 mi | 1% | 11% |
| Red Willow County, NE | 40 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Dundy County, NE | 41 mi | under 1% | 3% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 52 mi | 2% | 2% |
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