Data report · 2026

Nebraska Water Damage Risk Index

Where in Nebraska is a house most likely to take on water? We combined Census housing age with ten years of daily weather for 93 of Nebraska's 93 counties to rank them.

Highest index

Dixon

Score 74 of 100

Most pipe-freeze nights

Sioux

88 nights ≤ 20°F a year

Oldest housing

Deuel

74% built before 1960

Most heavy-rain days

Cass

8.3 days ≥ 1 inch a year

< 4242–4848–5252–59≥ 59 index (0–100)

Key findings

The five highest-scoring counties are Dixon, Boyd, Richardson, Franklin, Cuming. Each combines old housing with harsher-than-average winters or frequent downpours.
Deuel County has the oldest housing in the state, with 74% of homes built before 1960, against a county median of 49%.
Sioux County averaged 88 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the most of any county in the data. The county median is 64.
Sarpy County has the newest housing, with 45% of homes built since 2000, which pulls its index down even where winters are cold.

Weather: NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages, 2015–2024. Housing: ACS 2020-2024.

All counties

Select a column header to sort.

Rank	County	Index	Freeze nights	Pre-1960 homes	Heavy-rain days	Muggy nights
1	Dixon	74	71	58%	5.5	28
2	Boyd	70	70	59%	5.4	25
3	Richardson	66	45	62%	6.9	55
4	Franklin	65	54	69%	5.7	36
5	Cuming	64	66	52%	5.7	32
6	Pawnee	64	48	58%	7.5	48
7	Burt	63	61	54%	5.6	37
8	Greeley	63	67	58%	5.2	22
9	Nance	63	63	60%	5	36
10	Webster	63	55	57%	6.3	36
11	Johnson	62	50	57%	7.2	46
12	Nemaha	62	47	57%	6.6	50
13	Nuckolls	62	51	63%	5.6	38
14	Hooker	60	76	56%	3.6	4
15	Jefferson	60	51	55%	6	50
16	Sheridan	60	80	62%	1.3	2
17	Antelope	59	70	50%	5.2	26
18	Garden	59	77	59%	2	3
19	Kimball	59	78	70%	1.2	0
20	Thayer	59	51	56%	6	43
21	Valley	59	68	49%	5.8	18
22	Boone	58	66	52%	5.2	28
23	Furnas	58	63	61%	4.4	26
24	Polk	58	60	50%	5.9	37
25	Logan	57	73	54%	3.7	8
26	Pierce	57	70	52%	4.4	27
27	Deuel	55	69	74%	1.7	6
28	Garfield	55	70	49%	5.2	14
29	McPherson	55	71	56%	3.1	6
30	Wayne	55	71	42%	5.3	28
31	Thomas	54	74	50%	4.3	8
32	Brown	53	74	51%	3.3	10
33	Cedar	53	70	46%	4.9	27
34	Saline	53	54	44%	6.4	42
35	Sioux	53	88	54%	1.1	1
36	Grant	52	80	50%	2.9	2
37	Hayes	52	62	62%	3	12
38	Howard	52	61	48%	5.5	28
39	Thurston	52	67	41%	5.5	31
40	Blaine	51	72	48%	4.1	10
41	Butler	51	59	43%	6.2	36
42	Clay	51	51	54%	5.4	37
43	Gage	51	50	49%	6.2	47
44	Holt	51	72	43%	4.6	17
45	Fillmore	50	52	51%	5.4	38
46	Keya Paha	50	74	43%	4.3	11
47	Knox	50	69	44%	4.6	27
48	Stanton	50	66	44%	5.1	32
49	Custer	49	68	52%	3.7	11
50	Dawes	49	76	53%	1	3
51	Morrill	49	74	53%	1.2	3
52	Sherman	49	64	49%	5.1	22
53	Dakota	48	69	32%	5.4	31
54	Dodge	48	58	41%	5.6	43
55	Frontier	48	65	53%	3.5	18
56	Harlan	48	56	45%	5.4	37
57	Hitchcock	48	60	59%	3	17
58	Otoe	48	51	40%	8.3	46
59	Perkins	48	63	62%	1.9	9
60	Merrick	47	59	43%	5.4	37
61	Seward	47	57	40%	6.1	36
62	Wheeler	47	70	36%	5.3	20
63	York	47	56	43%	5.8	36
64	Cheyenne	46	69	57%	1.2	2
65	Colfax	45	60	43%	5	38
66	Rock	45	74	41%	3.9	10
67	Saunders	45	52	34%	6.4	47
68	Washington	45	54	33%	6.4	47
69	Box Butte	44	82	44%	1.3	1
70	Red Willow	44	62	51%	3.3	24
71	Banner	43	70	52%	1.6	1
72	Cass	43	51	30%	8.3	47
73	Dundy	43	58	60%	1.8	12
74	Platte	43	64	34%	5.2	36
75	Adams	42	54	44%	5.3	33
76	Douglas	42	51	28%	7	50
77	Lancaster	42	52	24%	7.4	44
78	Cherry	40	76	38%	2.6	5
79	Hamilton	40	53	35%	5.6	38
80	Kearney	40	55	46%	5	28
81	Madison	40	67	32%	4.6	30
82	Sarpy	40	50	7%	7.5	50
83	Hall	38	56	31%	5.7	30
84	Loup	38	71	30%	4.3	11
85	Phelps	37	61	41%	4	28
86	Arthur	34	70	39%	2.6	5
87	Chase	34	62	47%	2.3	10
88	Dawson	33	66	38%	3.2	19
89	Gosper	33	64	36%	3.6	23
90	Lincoln	33	68	40%	2.9	10
91	Scotts Bluff	33	74	39%	1	2
92	Buffalo	29	59	24%	5	25
93	Keith	21	61	32%	1.8	10

Methodology

For each county with weather data, we convert four factors to a percentile rank among those counties (0 = lowest, 100 = highest), then take a weighted average:

Pipe-freeze nights (nights ≤ 20°F / yr), weight 30%
Homes built before 1960 (% of homes), weight 30%
Heavy-rain days (days ≥ 1 in / yr), weight 25%
Muggy nights (nights ≥ 65°F / yr), weight 15%

Freezing weather and old plumbing get the most weight because burst and failing supply lines are among the most common causes of household water damage. Heavy rain drives basement flooding and sewer backups, and warm, muggy nights mark the humid air that lets mold follow. The index is relative: a low score means lower risk than other Nebraska counties, not no risk.

Limits: weather values are county-wide averages, so hollows, ridges and lakeshores can differ; ACS housing figures are survey estimates; the index doesn't account for floodplains, soil, or local sewer systems. Full details on our data sources page.

Cite this data

You're welcome to use these figures with attribution. Suggested citation:

Local Water & Mold, "Nebraska Water Damage Risk Index 2026," https://localwatermold.com/nebraska/nebraska-water-damage-risk/. Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024; NOAA nClimGrid-Daily 2015–2024.