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Webster County, Nebraska

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19% of Webster County's mapped land, a higher share than 69% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 80% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1951.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

19%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

3%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

80%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Webster County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)19.1%
High water table (limits basements)3.1%
Septic fields very limited66.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)9.8%
Mapped soil368,141 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Holdrege36%0%
Hobbs15%n/a
Geary11%n/a
Hastings7%98%
Coly6%n/a
Hord4%n/a
Adams County: 40%Nuckolls County: 67%Franklin County: 5%Smith County: 24%Jewell County: 50%Kearney County: 16%Clay County: 83%Hall County: 24%Webster County AdamsNuckollsFranklinSmithJewellKearneyClayHallWebster
Webster County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas NE181 (2025-09-08)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.5% by land area here, and 10% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 23.02 in, 3.51 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 26.53 in.

USDA rates 66% 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 19 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 weeks, most recently on the June 2, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

2 flood losses since 2016, $11,599 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.

YearFlood losses
20160
20171
20180
20191
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202026.53 in
12 months to August 202623.02 in (-3.51)
202526.68 in (+0.15)
Wettest year since 18951993: 41.86 in
Driest year since 18951934: 12.56 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at RED CLOUD (6 mi away)6.1

Homes

Housing units1,764
Median year built1951
Built before 198080%
Built 2000 or later12%
Owner-occupied81%
Median value, owner-occupied$117,600
Single-family detached89%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Adams County, NE 23 mi 40% 7%
Nuckolls County, NE 24 mi 67% 7%
Franklin County, NE 24 mi 5% 5%
Smith County, KS 31 mi 24% 1%
Jewell County, KS 32 mi 50% 2%
Kearney County, NE 33 mi 16% 17%
Clay County, NE 33 mi 83% 17%
Hall County, NE 47 mi 24% 28%

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