Lincoln County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Lincoln County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses here since 2016. 69% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1970.
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 Lincoln County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.0% |
| Mapped soil | 1,647,853 acres |
How we count · survey areas NE111 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 18.70 in, 3.16 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.86 in.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Lincoln County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 48 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 35 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 75.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4 flood losses since 2016, $2,311 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 21.86 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 18.70 in (-3.16) |
| 2025 | 24.45 in (+2.59) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 37.62 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2012: 10.45 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at N PLATTE EXP FARM (0 mi away) | 4.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 16,624 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 69% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $189,500 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 | 39 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Frontier County, NE | 40 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Logan County, NE | 41 mi | under 1% | 8% |
| McPherson County, NE | 46 mi | under 1% | 9% |
| Keith County, NE | 48 mi | 1% | 11% |
| Perkins County, NE | 48 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Dawson County, NE | 50 mi | 3% | 17% |
| Thomas County, NE | 57 mi | 0% | 5% |
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