Wayne County, Nebraska
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 6% of Wayne County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 89.5% 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. 65% 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 Wayne County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 66.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.7% |
| Mapped soil | 283,622 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Moody | 30% | 2% |
| Nora | 30% | n/a |
| Alcester | 10% | n/a |
| Crofton | 9% | n/a |
| McPaul | 5% | n/a |
| Kennebec | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NE179 (2025-09-08)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 20.85 in, 7.91 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 28.76 in.
USDA rates 67% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Wayne County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
89.5% 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 19 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 89.5% |
| 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 Wayne County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 28.76 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 20.85 in (-7.91) |
| 2025 | 28.33 in (-0.43) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2007: 40.53 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2022: 15.10 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WAYNE (6 mi away) | 6.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,991 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 61% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $221,600 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanton County, NE | 21 mi | 4% | 9% |
| Dixon County, NE | 23 mi | 2% | 9% |
| Pierce County, NE | 25 mi | 2% | 17% |
| Cuming County, NE | 27 mi | 13% | 19% |
| Cedar County, NE | 28 mi | 2% | 7% |
| Thurston County, NE | 31 mi | 4% | 14% |
| Dakota County, NE | 31 mi | 13% | 22% |
| Madison County, NE | 32 mi | 7% | 15% |
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