Kay County, Oklahoma
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 59% of Kay County's mapped land, a higher share than 94% of US counties and the highest of 77 Oklahoma counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 19%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 34 flood losses here since 2016, 32% of them in buildings with basements. 75% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1964.
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 Kay County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 59.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 19.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 53.7% |
| Mapped soil | 604,852 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Kirkland | 17% | n/a |
| Milan | 7% | n/a |
| Tabler | 7% | n/a |
| Port | 5% | n/a |
| Shidler | 5% | n/a |
| Bethany | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OK071 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.2% by land area here, and 54% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 59% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 59% of Kay County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 19% of Kay County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.93 in, 2.86 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 36.79 in.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 24 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 | 9.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
34 flood losses since 2016, $462,585 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 25. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 32% basements, 27% slabs, 36% crawl spaces, 5% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 10.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 25 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 36.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.93 in (-2.86) |
| 2025 | 42.58 in (+5.79) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2007: 51.71 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1910: 15.00 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PONCA CITY MUNI AP (6 mi away) | 10 |
Homes
| Housing units | 20,913 |
| Median year built | 1964 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $124,700 |
| Single-family detached | 82% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noble County, OK | 30 mi | 38% | 1% |
| Cowley County, KS | 34 mi | 59% | 12% |
| Sumner County, KS | 35 mi | 47% | 8% |
| Grant County, OK | 36 mi | 48% | 10% |
| Pawnee County, OK | 43 mi | 33% | 22% |
| Osage County, OK | 43 mi | 41% | 40% |
| Garfield County, OK | 47 mi | 46% | 6% |
| Payne County, OK | 52 mi | 25% | 7% |
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