BasementSoil

Kansas: basement moisture and foundation risk by county

105 counties, ranked by our combined index. Highest combined risk is Anderson County (63), lowest is Morton County (26). The worst soil for foundation cracks specifically is in Cowley County.

Where in Kansas the ground is worse

Every county in the state, coloured by the soil values below. Click a county to open its report; switch what the colour means with the buttons. The pattern is geology, not administration — risk stops at the edge of a physiographic region, not at a county line.

Allen County, KS — combined 50/100, moisture 50, movement 38, water table 66Anderson County, KS — combined 63/100, moisture 54, movement 61, water table 82Atchison County, KS — combined 54/100, moisture 50, movement 40, water table 82Barber County, KS — combined 50/100, moisture 40, movement 68, water table 46Barton County, KS — combined 45/100, moisture 38, movement 55, water table 46Bourbon County, KS — combined 56/100, moisture 49, movement 46, water table 82Brown County, KS — combined 55/100, moisture 49, movement 55, water table 66Butler County, KS — combined 62/100, moisture 45, movement 96, water table 46Chase County, KS — combined 59/100, moisture 45, movement 88, water table 46Chautauqua County, KS — combined 58/100, moisture 43, movement 89, water table 46Cherokee County, KS — combined 51/100, moisture 52, movement 39, water table 66Cheyenne County, KS — combined 36/100, moisture 34, movement 44, water table 30Clark County, KS — combined 34/100, moisture 34, movement 48, water table 16Clay County, KS — combined 44/100, moisture 38, movement 52, water table 46Cloud County, KS — combined 39/100, moisture 40, movement 43, water table 30Coffey County, KS — combined 54/100, moisture 50, movement 38, water table 82Comanche County, KS — combined 43/100, moisture 40, movement 56, water table 30Cowley County, KS — combined 61/100, moisture 42, movement 100, water table 46Crawford County, KS — combined 58/100, moisture 49, movement 65, water table 66Decatur County, KS — combined 32/100, moisture 32, movement 43, water table 16Dickinson County, KS — combined 43/100, moisture 40, movement 67, water table 16Doniphan County, KS — combined 59/100, moisture 52, movement 65, water table 66Douglas County, KS — combined 54/100, moisture 49, movement 42, water table 82Edwards County, KS — combined 46/100, moisture 35, movement 62, water table 46Elk County, KS — combined 59/100, moisture 44, movement 100, water table 30Ellis County, KS — combined 43/100, moisture 35, movement 63, water table 30Ellsworth County, KS — combined 37/100, moisture 40, movement 39, water table 30Finney County, KS — combined 33/100, moisture 32, movement 46, water table 16Ford County, KS — combined 37/100, moisture 31, movement 49, water table 30Franklin County, KS — combined 59/100, moisture 51, movement 55, water table 82Geary County, KS — combined 52/100, moisture 43, movement 68, water table 46Gove County, KS — combined 39/100, moisture 33, movement 53, water table 30Graham County, KS — combined 37/100, moisture 32, movement 49, water table 30Grant County, KS — combined 35/100, moisture 31, movement 43, water table 30Gray County, KS — combined 36/100, moisture 33, movement 56, water table 16Greeley County, KS — combined 27/100, moisture 30, movement 32, water table 16Greenwood County, KS — combined 56/100, moisture 45, movement 100, water table 16Hamilton County, KS — combined 32/100, moisture 34, movement 42, water table 16Harper County, KS — combined 46/100, moisture 39, movement 55, water table 46Harvey County, KS — combined 41/100, moisture 36, movement 43, water table 46Haskell County, KS — combined 27/100, moisture 33, movement 28, water table 16Hodgeman County, KS — combined 31/100, moisture 31, movement 41, water table 16Jackson County, KS — combined 61/100, moisture 53, movement 57, water table 82Jefferson County, KS — combined 58/100, moisture 49, movement 65, water table 66Jewell County, KS — combined 41/100, moisture 38, movement 52, water table 30Johnson County, KS — combined 55/100, moisture 51, movement 52, water table 66Kearny County, KS — combined 35/100, moisture 31, movement 44, water table 30Kingman County, KS — combined 41/100, moisture 36, movement 43, water table 46Kiowa County, KS — combined 48/100, moisture 38, movement 63, water table 46Labette County, KS — combined 59/100, moisture 49, movement 56, water table 82Lane County, KS — combined 33/100, moisture 32, movement 36, water table 30Leavenworth County, KS — combined 54/100, moisture 53, movement 48, water table 66Lincoln County, KS — combined 47/100, moisture 36, movement 63, water table 46Linn County, KS — combined 58/100, moisture 52, movement 60, water table 66Logan County, KS — combined 30/100, moisture 31, movement 39, water table 16Lyon County, KS — combined 57/100, moisture 42, movement 85, water table 46Marion County, KS — combined 40/100, moisture 36, movement 54, water table 30Marshall County, KS — combined 54/100, moisture 42, movement 87, water table 30McPherson County, KS — combined 42/100, moisture 40, movement 52, water table 30Meade County, KS — combined 28/100, moisture 34, movement 28, water table 16Miami County, KS — combined 58/100, moisture 49, movement 66, water table 66Mitchell County, KS — combined 40/100, moisture 38, movement 59, water table 16Montgomery County, KS — combined 52/100, moisture 54, movement 39, water table 66Morris County, KS — combined 61/100, moisture 42, movement 100, water table 46Morton County, KS — combined 26/100, moisture 31, movement 25, water table 16Nemaha County, KS — combined 61/100, moisture 46, movement 78, water table 66Neosho County, KS — combined 54/100, moisture 52, movement 47, water table 66Ness County, KS — combined 34/100, moisture 31, movement 51, water table 16Norton County, KS — combined 32/100, moisture 32, movement 43, water table 16Osage County, KS — combined 53/100, moisture 49, movement 50, water table 66Osborne County, KS — combined 45/100, moisture 39, movement 53, water table 46Ottawa County, KS — combined 39/100, moisture 36, movement 51, water table 30Pawnee County, KS — combined 49/100, moisture 40, movement 63, water table 46Phillips County, KS — combined 37/100, moisture 39, movement 39, water table 30Pottawatomie County, KS — combined 62/100, moisture 43, movement 100, water table 46Pratt County, KS — combined 43/100, moisture 39, movement 58, water table 30Rawlins County, KS — combined 35/100, moisture 32, movement 43, water table 30Reno County, KS — combined 45/100, moisture 37, movement 54, water table 46Republic County, KS — combined 40/100, moisture 37, movement 40, water table 46Rice County, KS — combined 42/100, moisture 36, movement 58, water table 30Riley County, KS — combined 55/100, moisture 44, movement 87, water table 30Rooks County, KS — combined 43/100, moisture 39, movement 57, water table 30Rush County, KS — combined 34/100, moisture 40, movement 38, water table 16Russell County, KS — combined 37/100, moisture 40, movement 39, water table 30Saline County, KS — combined 47/100, moisture 40, movement 58, water table 46Scott County, KS — combined 32/100, moisture 30, movement 36, water table 30Sedgwick County, KS — combined 39/100, moisture 36, movement 49, water table 30Seward County, KS — combined 33/100, moisture 30, movement 50, water table 16Shawnee County, KS — combined 51/100, moisture 51, movement 41, water table 66Sheridan County, KS — combined 31/100, moisture 30, movement 44, water table 16Sherman County, KS — combined 31/100, moisture 32, movement 30, water table 30Smith County, KS — combined 44/100, moisture 40, movement 59, water table 30Stafford County, KS — combined 40/100, moisture 40, movement 37, water table 46Stanton County, KS — combined 33/100, moisture 34, movement 43, water table 16Stevens County, KS — combined 32/100, moisture 30, movement 37, water table 30Sumner County, KS — combined 42/100, moisture 39, movement 43, water table 46Thomas County, KS — combined 37/100, moisture 32, movement 49, water table 30Trego County, KS — combined 33/100, moisture 31, movement 48, water table 16Wabaunsee County, KS — combined 54/100, moisture 44, movement 84, water table 30Wallace County, KS — combined 35/100, moisture 31, movement 54, water table 16Washington County, KS — combined 50/100, moisture 43, movement 73, water table 30Wichita County, KS — combined 31/100, moisture 34, movement 29, water table 30Wilson County, KS — combined 56/100, moisture 51, movement 55, water table 66Woodson County, KS — combined 61/100, moisture 53, movement 70, water table 66Wyandotte County, KS — combined 60/100, moisture 50, movement 69, water table 66
  • Low (0–27)
  • Moderate (28–49)
  • Elevated (50–74)
  • High (75–100)

County boundaries: US Census TIGER (public domain), simplified for display. Colours are our index from USDA SSURGO fields where loaded, otherwise from our regional model — each county page states which. How the index is calculated.

CountyIndexMoistureCracksWater tableRegion
Anderson County63546182Dissected till plain with a claypan
Butler County62459646Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Pottawatomie County624310046Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Cowley County614210046Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Jackson County61535782Dissected till plain with a claypan
Morris County614210046Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Nemaha County61467866Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Woodson County61537066Dissected till plain with a claypan
Wyandotte County60506966Dissected till plain with a claypan
Chase County59458846Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Doniphan County59526566Dissected till plain with a claypan
Elk County594410030Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Franklin County59515582Dissected till plain with a claypan
Labette County59495682Dissected till plain with a claypan
Chautauqua County58438946Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Crawford County58496566Dissected till plain with a claypan
Jefferson County58496566Dissected till plain with a claypan
Linn County58526066Dissected till plain with a claypan
Miami County58496666Dissected till plain with a claypan
Lyon County57428546Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Bourbon County56494682Dissected till plain with a claypan
Greenwood County564510016Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Wilson County56515566Dissected till plain with a claypan
Brown County55495566Dissected till plain with a claypan
Johnson County55515266Dissected till plain with a claypan
Riley County55448730Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Atchison County54504082Dissected till plain with a claypan
Coffey County54503882Dissected till plain with a claypan
Douglas County54494282Dissected till plain with a claypan
Leavenworth County54534866Dissected till plain with a claypan
Marshall County54428730Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Neosho County54524766Dissected till plain with a claypan
Wabaunsee County54448430Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Osage County53495066Dissected till plain with a claypan
Geary County52436846Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Montgomery County52543966Dissected till plain with a claypan
Cherokee County51523966Dissected till plain with a claypan
Shawnee County51514166Dissected till plain with a claypan
Allen County50503866Dissected till plain with a claypan
Barber County50406846Smoky Hills and central plains
Washington County50437330Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas
Pawnee County49406346Smoky Hills and central plains
Kiowa County48386346Smoky Hills and central plains
Lincoln County47366346Smoky Hills and central plains
Saline County47405846Smoky Hills and central plains
Edwards County46356246Smoky Hills and central plains
Harper County46395546Smoky Hills and central plains
Barton County45385546Smoky Hills and central plains
Osborne County45395346Smoky Hills and central plains
Reno County45375446Smoky Hills and central plains
Clay County44385246Smoky Hills and central plains
Smith County44405930Smoky Hills and central plains
Comanche County43405630Smoky Hills and central plains
Dickinson County43406716Smoky Hills and central plains
Ellis County43356330Smoky Hills and central plains
Pratt County43395830Smoky Hills and central plains
Rooks County43395730Smoky Hills and central plains
McPherson County42405230Smoky Hills and central plains
Rice County42365830Smoky Hills and central plains
Sumner County42394346Smoky Hills and central plains
Harvey County41364346Smoky Hills and central plains
Jewell County41385230Smoky Hills and central plains
Kingman County41364346Smoky Hills and central plains
Marion County40365430Smoky Hills and central plains
Mitchell County40385916Smoky Hills and central plains
Republic County40374046Smoky Hills and central plains
Stafford County40403746Smoky Hills and central plains
Cloud County39404330Smoky Hills and central plains
Gove County39335330High Plains
Ottawa County39365130Smoky Hills and central plains
Sedgwick County39364930Smoky Hills and central plains
Ellsworth County37403930Smoky Hills and central plains
Ford County37314930High Plains
Graham County37324930High Plains
Phillips County37393930Smoky Hills and central plains
Russell County37403930Smoky Hills and central plains
Thomas County37324930High Plains
Cheyenne County36344430High Plains
Gray County36335616High Plains
Grant County35314330High Plains
Kearny County35314430High Plains
Rawlins County35324330High Plains
Wallace County35315416High Plains
Clark County34344816High Plains
Ness County34315116High Plains
Rush County34403816Smoky Hills and central plains
Finney County33324616High Plains
Lane County33323630High Plains
Seward County33305016High Plains
Stanton County33344316High Plains
Trego County33314816High Plains
Decatur County32324316High Plains
Hamilton County32344216High Plains
Norton County32324316High Plains
Scott County32303630High Plains
Stevens County32303730High Plains
Hodgeman County31314116High Plains
Sheridan County31304416High Plains
Sherman County31323030High Plains
Wichita County31342930High Plains
Logan County30313916High Plains
Meade County28342816High Plains
Greeley County27303216High Plains
Haskell County27332816High Plains
Morton County26312516High Plains

Values from USDA NRCS SSURGO where available, otherwise our regional model — each county page states which. Methodology.

The physiographic regions inside Kansas

State lines are political; soil follows geology. These are the distinct ground types inside Kansas and why each behaves the way it does.

Smoky Hills and central plains

Middling values on all three axes. The commonest real problem here is not the soil but ground that slopes towards the house.

34 counties: Barber County, Barton County, Clay County, Cloud County, Comanche County, Dickinson County, Edwards County, Ellis County, Ellsworth County, Harper County, Harvey County, Jewell County, Kingman County, Kiowa County, Lincoln County, Marion County, McPherson County, Mitchell County, Osborne County, Ottawa County, Pawnee County, Phillips County, Pratt County, Reno County, Republic County, Rice County, Rooks County, Rush County, Russell County, Saline County, Sedgwick County, Smith County, Stafford County, Sumner County

High Plains

The water table is tens of metres down and rainfall is low. Basement damp here is nearly always condensation or a failed supply line rather than groundwater — and that distinction is worth thousands of dollars.

31 counties: Cheyenne County, Clark County, Decatur County, Finney County, Ford County, Gove County, Graham County, Grant County, Gray County, Greeley County, Hamilton County, Haskell County, Hodgeman County, Kearny County, Lane County, Logan County, Meade County, Morton County, Ness County, Norton County, Rawlins County, Scott County, Seward County, Sheridan County, Sherman County, Stanton County, Stevens County, Thomas County, Trego County, Wallace County, Wichita County

Dissected till plain with a claypan

The claypan is a hard clay layer a few tens of centimetres under the lawn. Water sits on it and spreads sideways. The typical symptom is seepage through the upper part of the wall rather than at the floor.

25 counties: Allen County, Anderson County, Atchison County, Bourbon County, Brown County, Cherokee County, Coffey County, Crawford County, Doniphan County, Douglas County, Franklin County, Jackson County, Jefferson County, Johnson County, Labette County, Leavenworth County, Linn County, Miami County, Montgomery County, Neosho County, Osage County, Shawnee County, Wilson County, Woodson County, Wyandotte County

Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas

One of the most expansive soil belts east of the Rockies. Foundation cracks occur here in houses with faultless drainage, because the cause is not water in the basement but volume change in the clay under the footing.

15 counties: Butler County, Chase County, Chautauqua County, Cowley County, Elk County, Geary County, Greenwood County, Lyon County, Marshall County, Morris County, Nemaha County, Pottawatomie County, Riley County, Wabaunsee County, Washington County

Page data updated