Woodward County, Oklahoma
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 8% of Woodward County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, 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 3 flood losses here since 2016. 55% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Woodward County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.8% |
| Mapped soil | 797,216 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Eda | 17% | n/a |
| Quinlan | 7% | n/a |
| Tivoli | 7% | n/a |
| Woodward | 6% | n/a |
| Carey | 6% | n/a |
| Vernon | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OK153 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.75 in, 8.75 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 26.50 in.
USDA rates 79% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 8% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Woodward 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 33 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 | 95.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 44.6% |
| D4 exceptional | 28.3% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $67,166 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 26.50 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.75 in (-8.75) |
| 2025 | 30.59 in (+4.09) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 42.30 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 12.28 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WOODWARD (6 mi away) | 6.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,391 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $169,000 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis County, OK | 30 mi | 3% | 4% |
| Woods County, OK | 31 mi | 13% | 8% |
| Harper County, OK | 34 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Dewey County, OK | 34 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Major County, OK | 41 mi | 13% | 7% |
| Comanche County, KS | 52 mi | 5% | 4% |
| Roger Mills County, OK | 56 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Custer County, OK | 56 mi | under 1% | 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status