Lancaster County, Nebraska
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 73% of Lancaster County's mapped land, a higher share than 98% of US counties and the 7th highest of 93 Nebraska counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 51%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 21 flood losses here since 2016. 47% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Lancaster County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 73.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 50.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 97.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 60.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.5% |
| Mapped soil | 541,715 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Wymore | 20% | 100% |
| Aksarben | 15% | n/a |
| Pawnee | 11% | n/a |
| Judson | 6% | n/a |
| Nodaway | 6% | n/a |
| Kennebec | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE109 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.7% by land area here, and 60% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 73% of the mapped land.
On 51% of Lancaster 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: 31.18 in, 0.23 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 31.41 in.
USDA rates 97% 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 15 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the April 7, 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
21 flood losses since 2016, $170,558 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 10.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 10 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.41 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.18 in (-0.23) |
| 2025 | 27.06 in (-4.35) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 43.64 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 14.78 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LINCOLN MUNI AP (6 mi away) | 6.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 140,324 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 47% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 59% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $275,200 |
| Single-family detached | 59% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seward County, NE | 24 mi | 63% | 19% |
| Cass County, NE | 30 mi | 71% | 21% |
| Saline County, NE | 30 mi | 79% | 11% |
| Saunders County, NE | 30 mi | 54% | 24% |
| Otoe County, NE | 31 mi | 71% | 65% |
| Johnson County, NE | 35 mi | 69% | 74% |
| Gage County, NE | 37 mi | 81% | 88% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 38 mi | 7% | 15% |
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