Hitchcock County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Hitchcock County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, 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. 84% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1950.
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 Hitchcock County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 44.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.1% |
| Mapped soil | 459,846 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sulco | 36% | n/a |
| Keith | 32% | n/a |
| Blackwood | 9% | n/a |
| Bridget | 4% | n/a |
| Ulysses | 4% | n/a |
| McCook | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE087 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 18.91 in, 1.73 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 20.64 in.
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 Hitchcock 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 36 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 20 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 63.2% |
| 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 Hitchcock County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 20.64 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 18.91 in (-1.73) |
| 2025 | 22.61 in (+1.97) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 34.35 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2022: 10.60 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TRENTON DAM 1N (1 mi away) | 4.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,561 |
| Median year built | 1950 |
| Built before 1980 | 84% |
| Built 2000 or later | 2% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $96,700 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayes County, NE | 25 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 27 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Red Willow County, NE | 30 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Dundy County, NE | 34 mi | under 1% | 3% |
| Decatur County, KS | 41 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Frontier County, NE | 42 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Chase County, NE | 42 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Cheyenne County, KS | 45 mi | 3% | 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