Beaver County, Oklahoma
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 6% of Beaver County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 7%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% 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. 70% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1968.
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 Beaver County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 38.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.4% |
| Mapped soil | 1,162,829 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Alopark | 14% | n/a |
| Mocane | 9% | n/a |
| Dreyfoos | 7% | n/a |
| Touzalin | 4% | n/a |
| Catesby | 4% | n/a |
| Oklark | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OK007 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 15.87 in, 5.24 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.11 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on 7% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Beaver County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 34 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 47.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 1% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Beaver County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 21.11 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 15.87 in (-5.24) |
| 2025 | 23.23 in (+2.12) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 33.38 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 10.43 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BEAVER (5 mi away) | 5.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,471 |
| Median year built | 1968 |
| Built before 1980 | 70% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $130,100 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lipscomb County, TX | 34 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Meade County, KS | 35 mi | 35% | 6% |
| Seward County, KS | 36 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Ochiltree County, TX | 37 mi | 70% | 5% |
| Harper County, OK | 46 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Clark County, KS | 50 mi | 18% | 4% |
| Ellis County, OK | 54 mi | 3% | 4% |
| Texas County, OK | 55 mi | 30% | 3% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status