Valley County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Valley County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 8%, 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 3 flood losses here since 2016. 71% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1961.
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 Valley County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 64.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.5% |
| Mapped soil | 365,331 acres |
How we count · survey areas NE175 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 22.85 in, 3.28 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 26.13 in.
USDA rates 65% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 8% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Valley 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 22 weeks, most recently on the August 18, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 54.5% |
| 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, $82,117 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 26.13 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 22.85 in (-3.28) |
| 2025 | 28.61 in (+2.48) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 37.80 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 11.72 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ORD #2 (4 mi away) | 6.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,108 |
| Median year built | 1961 |
| Built before 1980 | 71% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $154,600 |
| Single-family detached | 86% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greeley County, NE | 23 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Garfield County, NE | 24 mi | under 1% | 24% |
| Sherman County, NE | 24 mi | under 1% | 9% |
| Howard County, NE | 34 mi | 2% | 14% |
| Wheeler County, NE | 34 mi | 0% | 31% |
| Loup County, NE | 36 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Custer County, NE | 40 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Boone County, NE | 48 mi | 2% | 5% |
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