Payne County, Oklahoma
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 25% of Payne County's mapped land, a higher share than 76% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 7%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 10 flood losses here since 2016. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Payne County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 25.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 23.9% |
| Mapped soil | 445,894 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Grainola | 9% | n/a |
| Renfrow | 6% | n/a |
| Pulaski | 6% | n/a |
| Coyle | 6% | n/a |
| Stephenville | 6% | 0% |
| Konawa | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OK119 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.9% by land area here, and 24% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 25% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 25% of Payne County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 32.17 in, 4.83 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 37.00 in.
USDA rates 74% 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 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 37 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 34.4% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
10 flood losses since 2016, $518,542 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 7.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 37.00 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.17 in (-4.83) |
| 2025 | 39.22 in (+2.22) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1908: 60.30 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1910: 18.46 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at STILLWATER 2 W (7 mi away) | 10.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 37,069 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32% |
| Owner-occupied | 51% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $223,300 |
| Single-family detached | 62% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pawnee County, OK | 22 mi | 33% | 22% |
| Noble County, OK | 26 mi | 38% | 1% |
| Lincoln County, OK | 27 mi | 27% | 10% |
| Logan County, OK | 29 mi | 21% | 2% |
| Creek County, OK | 35 mi | 27% | 38% |
| Oklahoma County, OK | 44 mi | 21% | 3% |
| Osage County, OK | 49 mi | 41% | 40% |
| Garfield County, OK | 50 mi | 46% | 6% |
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