Saline County, Nebraska
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 79% of Saline County's mapped land, a higher share than 99% of US counties and the 5th highest of 93 Nebraska counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 11%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 75% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1964.
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 Saline County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 78.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 71.6% |
| Mapped soil | 368,948 acres |
How we count · survey areas NE151 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.7% by land area here, and 72% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 79% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 29.88 in, 0.19 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 30.07 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 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
7 flood losses since 2016, $22,054 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 6.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 30.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 29.88 in (-0.19) |
| 2025 | 29.04 in (-1.03) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1951: 42.89 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 13.89 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WESTERN 2W (10 mi away) | 8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,799 |
| Median year built | 1964 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $197,400 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, NE | 23 mi | 65% | 15% |
| Fillmore County, NE | 24 mi | 91% | 25% |
| Seward County, NE | 25 mi | 63% | 19% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 30 mi | 73% | 51% |
| Gage County, NE | 30 mi | 81% | 88% |
| Thayer County, NE | 34 mi | 68% | 6% |
| York County, NE | 35 mi | 83% | 12% |
| Johnson County, NE | 46 mi | 69% | 74% |
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