Platte County, Wyoming
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Platte County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, 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 1 flood losses here since 2016. 60% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.
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 Platte County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 43.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.2% |
| Mapped soil | 1,317,273 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Keeline | 7% | n/a |
| Taluce | 6% | n/a |
| Recluse | 5% | n/a |
| Featherlegs | 5% | n/a |
| Turnercrest | 4% | n/a |
| Sunup | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas WY031 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 11.72 in, 2.66 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 14.38 in.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Platte 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 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 39 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 | 29.5% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 14.38 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 11.72 in (-2.66) |
| 2025 | 13.24 in (-1.14) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 21.88 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2012: 7.21 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WHEATLAND 4 N (1 mi away) | 2.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,688 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $297,900 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goshen County, WY | 31 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Albany County, WY | 51 mi | 5% | 7% |
| Laramie County, WY | 60 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Converse County, WY | 66 mi | 16% | 1% |
| Sioux County, NE | 67 mi | 12% | 1% |
| Scotts Bluff County, NE | 67 mi | 2% | 11% |
| Niobrara County, WY | 69 mi | 10% | 1% |
| Banner County, NE | 75 mi | under 1% | 2% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status