Sarpy County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 7% of Sarpy County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 15%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 223 flood losses here since 2016, 13% of them in buildings with basements. 29% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1996.
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 Sarpy County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 72.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 7.8% |
| Mapped soil | 158,438 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Contrary | 24% | n/a |
| Marshall | 17% | 14% |
| Judson | 6% | n/a |
| Monona | 4% | n/a |
| Ida | 4% | n/a |
| Kennebec | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE153 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 29.18 in, 3.57 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 32.75 in.
USDA rates 72% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 15% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Sarpy County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 9 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
223 flood losses since 2016, $14.7 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 206. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 13% basements, 34% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 48% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 39 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 206 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 32.75 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 29.18 in (-3.57) |
| 2025 | 30.87 in (-1.88) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 47.90 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 16.51 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ASHLAND #2 (15 mi away) | 8.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 76,780 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 29% |
| Built 2000 or later | 45% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $314,100 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, NE | 13 mi | 3% | 19% |
| Cass County, NE | 14 mi | 71% | 21% |
| Mills County, IA | 26 mi | 16% | 28% |
| Saunders County, NE | 29 mi | 54% | 24% |
| Washington County, NE | 30 mi | 20% | 16% |
| Otoe County, NE | 33 mi | 71% | 65% |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 33 mi | 14% | 25% |
| Fremont County, IA | 37 mi | 22% | 39% |
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