Saunders County, Nebraska
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 54% of Saunders County's mapped land, a higher share than 92% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 24%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 54 flood losses here since 2016, 8% of them in buildings with basements. 62% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Saunders County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 54.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 24.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 26.0% |
| Mapped soil | 485,709 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Yutan | 32% | n/a |
| Judson | 12% | n/a |
| Aksarben | 8% | n/a |
| Nodaway | 8% | n/a |
| Tomek | 7% | n/a |
| Pohocco | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE155 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.3% by land area here, and 26% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 54% of the mapped land.
On 24% of Saunders 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: 28.29 in, 2.93 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 31.22 in.
USDA rates 86% 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 25 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the May 12, 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
54 flood losses since 2016, $2.2 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 49. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 8% basements, 44% slabs, 19% crawl spaces, 28% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 14 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 49 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.22 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 28.29 in (-2.93) |
| 2025 | 31.72 in (+0.50) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 42.56 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 15.16 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MEAD 6S (10 mi away) | 7.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,276 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 62% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $271,700 |
| Single-family detached | 88% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge County, NE | 24 mi | 22% | 41% |
| Butler County, NE | 25 mi | 57% | 21% |
| Douglas County, NE | 26 mi | 3% | 19% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 29 mi | 7% | 15% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 30 mi | 73% | 51% |
| Washington County, NE | 31 mi | 20% | 16% |
| Colfax County, NE | 33 mi | 10% | 20% |
| Cass County, NE | 34 mi | 71% | 21% |
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