Sheridan County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 2% of Sheridan County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 87% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1951.
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 Sheridan County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.5% |
| Mapped soil | 1,582,189 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Valentine | 43% | 0% |
| Tuthill | 4% | n/a |
| Dunday | 4% | n/a |
| Oglala | 4% | n/a |
| Tassel | 3% | n/a |
| Wildhorse | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE161 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 12.33 in, 6.55 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.88 in.
USDA rates 82% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Sheridan County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 34 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 59.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $1,192 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.88 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 12.33 in (-6.55) |
| 2025 | 17.67 in (-1.21) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 28.78 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2012: 9.29 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GORDON 6N (28 mi away) | 3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,704 |
| Median year built | 1951 |
| Built before 1980 | 87% |
| Built 2000 or later | 4% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $113,400 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawes County, NE | 42 mi | 24% | 1% |
| Box Butte County, NE | 42 mi | 2% | 5% |
| Grant County, NE | 51 mi | 0% | 14% |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 58 mi | 23% | 1% |
| Bennett County, SD | 58 mi | 10% | 8% |
| Garden County, NE | 61 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Morrill County, NE | 63 mi | under 1% | 13% |
| Cherry County, NE | 67 mi | under 1% | 16% |
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