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Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23% of Pottawatomie County's mapped land, a higher share than 74% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 6%.
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. 51% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Pottawatomie County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 75.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 20.9% |
| Mapped soil | 507,014 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Stephenville | 15% | 0% |
| Grainola | 12% | n/a |
| Littleaxe | 9% | n/a |
| Konawa | 6% | n/a |
| Port | 5% | n/a |
| Aydelotte | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OK125 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.6% by land area here, and 21% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of Pottawatomie County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 26.05 in, 13.58 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 39.63 in.
USDA rates 75% 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 | 71.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 40.3% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
10 flood losses since 2016, $179,048 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 39.63 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 26.05 in (-13.58) |
| 2025 | 42.70 in (+3.07) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 64.28 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 21.16 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SHAWNEE (10 mi away) | 12.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 30,317 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $165,400 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminole County, OK | 20 mi | 17% | 25% |
| Cleveland County, OK | 21 mi | 21% | 5% |
| McClain County, OK | 31 mi | 12% | 5% |
| Lincoln County, OK | 34 mi | 27% | 10% |
| Oklahoma County, OK | 35 mi | 21% | 3% |
| Pontotoc County, OK | 37 mi | 28% | 15% |
| Okfuskee County, OK | 40 mi | 30% | 39% |
| Garvin County, OK | 40 mi | 30% | 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