Pawnee County, Nebraska
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 70% of Pawnee County's mapped land, a higher share than 97% of US counties and the 10th 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 no flood losses here since 2016. 81% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1952.
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 Pawnee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 70.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 65.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 99.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 60.4% |
| Mapped soil | 277,037 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Pawnee | 23% | n/a |
| Wymore | 19% | 100% |
| Malmo | 7% | n/a |
| Morrill | 6% | n/a |
| Judson | 5% | n/a |
| Burchard | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE133 (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 70% of the mapped land.
On 65% of Pawnee 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: 34.40 in, 1.55 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 32.85 in.
USDA rates 99% 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 2 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 55.7% 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
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Pawnee County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 32.85 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.40 in (+1.55) |
| 2025 | 31.12 in (-1.73) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 53.06 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1988: 18.57 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TABLE ROCK 4N (11 mi away) | 8.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,409 |
| Median year built | 1952 |
| Built before 1980 | 81% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $79,400 |
| Single-family detached | 91% |
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% |
| Gage County, NE | 25 mi | 81% | 88% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 27 mi | 58% | 48% |
| Nemaha County, KS | 27 mi | 75% | 70% |
| Richardson County, NE | 28 mi | 58% | 42% |
| Marshall County, KS | 29 mi | 72% | 73% |
| Otoe County, NE | 35 mi | 71% | 65% |
| Brown County, KS | 42 mi | 77% | 60% |
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