Otoe County, Nebraska
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 71% of Otoe County's mapped land, a higher share than 97% of US counties and the 9th highest of 93 Nebraska counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 65%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 63% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1971.
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 Otoe County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 71.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 65.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 56.5% |
| Mapped soil | 396,147 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Wymore | 29% | 100% |
| Pawnee | 13% | n/a |
| Yutan | 7% | n/a |
| Nodaway | 7% | n/a |
| Judson | 5% | n/a |
| Colo | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE131 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.7% by land area here, and 56% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 71% of the mapped land.
On 65% of Otoe 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: 33.29 in, 0.29 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 33.00 in.
USDA rates 94% 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 8 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, on the March 31, 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
2 flood losses since 2016, $7,040 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 33.00 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.29 in (+0.29) |
| 2025 | 28.38 in (-4.62) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 50.80 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1988: 19.61 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SYRACUSE (4 mi away) | 8.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,999 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 63% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $201,600 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, NE | 18 mi | 69% | 74% |
| Cass County, NE | 19 mi | 71% | 21% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 23 mi | 58% | 48% |
| Fremont County, IA | 29 mi | 22% | 39% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 31 mi | 73% | 51% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 33 mi | 7% | 15% |
| Pawnee County, NE | 35 mi | 70% | 65% |
| Mills County, IA | 38 mi | 16% | 28% |
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