Thayer County, Nebraska
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 68% of Thayer County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 6%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 80% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1956.
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 Thayer County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 68.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 60.3% |
| Mapped soil | 368,026 acres |
How we count · survey areas NE169 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.0% by land area here, and 60% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 68% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 30.50 in, 1.38 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 29.12 in.
USDA rates 83% 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 14 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 73.3% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the April 7, 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
3 flood losses since 2016, $10,716 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 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 | 29.12 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 30.50 in (+1.38) |
| 2025 | 28.08 in (-1.04) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1993: 44.23 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 13.23 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HEBRON (0 mi away) | 7.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,497 |
| Median year built | 1956 |
| Built before 1980 | 80% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $122,800 |
| Single-family detached | 94% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, NE | 23 mi | 65% | 15% |
| Nuckolls County, NE | 24 mi | 67% | 7% |
| Republic County, KS | 24 mi | 69% | 3% |
| Fillmore County, NE | 24 mi | 91% | 25% |
| Clay County, NE | 34 mi | 83% | 17% |
| Saline County, NE | 34 mi | 79% | 11% |
| Washington County, KS | 38 mi | 67% | 6% |
| Jewell County, KS | 43 mi | 50% | 2% |
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