Sherman County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Sherman County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 9%, 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 no flood losses here since 2016. 73% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1962.
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 Sherman County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 58.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.3% |
| Mapped soil | 366,080 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Uly | 40% | n/a |
| Coly | 19% | n/a |
| Hobbs | 9% | n/a |
| Holdrege | 9% | 0% |
| Hord | 4% | n/a |
| Cozad | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE163 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 22.51 in, 3.56 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 26.07 in.
USDA rates 58% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 9% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Sherman 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 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 23 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 29% |
| 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 Sherman County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 26.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 22.51 in (-3.56) |
| 2025 | 28.94 in (+2.87) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 38.10 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 12.20 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LOUP CITY (4 mi away) | 6.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,796 |
| Median year built | 1962 |
| Built before 1980 | 73% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $152,000 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley County, NE | 24 mi | 1% | 8% |
| Howard County, NE | 24 mi | 2% | 14% |
| Buffalo County, NE | 26 mi | 6% | 12% |
| Greeley County, NE | 33 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Hall County, NE | 35 mi | 24% | 28% |
| Custer County, NE | 41 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Garfield County, NE | 48 mi | under 1% | 24% |
| Kearney County, NE | 49 mi | 16% | 17% |
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