Nuckolls County, Nebraska
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 67% of Nuckolls County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 7%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 80% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1948.
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 Nuckolls County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 67.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 53.2% |
| Mapped soil | 368,429 acres |
How we count · survey areas NE129 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.5% by land area here, and 53% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 67% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 24.41 in, 3.42 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 27.83 in.
USDA rates 90% 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 14 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 90.6% 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
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 27.83 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 24.41 in (-3.42) |
| 2025 | 26.24 in (-1.59) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 44.44 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 11.97 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NELSON (2 mi away) | 6.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,220 |
| Median year built | 1948 |
| Built before 1980 | 80% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $96,500 |
| Single-family detached | 93% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thayer County, NE | 24 mi | 68% | 6% |
| Webster County, NE | 24 mi | 19% | 3% |
| Clay County, NE | 24 mi | 83% | 17% |
| Jewell County, KS | 29 mi | 50% | 2% |
| Republic County, KS | 32 mi | 69% | 3% |
| Adams County, NE | 34 mi | 40% | 7% |
| Fillmore County, NE | 34 mi | 91% | 25% |
| Jefferson County, NE | 47 mi | 65% | 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