Stanton County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 4% of Stanton County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 9%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 16% 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. 69% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1967.
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 Stanton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 62.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.5% |
| Mapped soil | 275,853 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Crofton | 21% | n/a |
| Nora | 21% | n/a |
| Alcester | 9% | n/a |
| Thurman | 8% | n/a |
| Moody | 7% | 2% |
| Hobbs | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE167 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 23.98 in, 4.54 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 28.52 in.
USDA rates 62% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 4% and a shallow water table on 9% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Stanton County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
16% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 weeks, most recently on the August 18, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 99.7% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 16% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $150,000 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 28.52 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 23.98 in (-4.54) |
| 2025 | 29.91 in (+1.39) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1984: 39.79 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2022: 14.89 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NORFOLK KARL STEFAN AP (14 mi away) | 5.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,483 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 69% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $195,400 |
| Single-family detached | 91% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuming County, NE | 20 mi | 13% | 19% |
| Wayne County, NE | 21 mi | 6% | 11% |
| Madison County, NE | 22 mi | 7% | 15% |
| Colfax County, NE | 23 mi | 10% | 20% |
| Platte County, NE | 29 mi | 11% | 13% |
| Pierce County, NE | 34 mi | 2% | 17% |
| Dodge County, NE | 36 mi | 22% | 41% |
| Thurston County, NE | 37 mi | 4% | 14% |
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