Apache County, Arizona
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 7% of Apache County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 81.5% 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. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.
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 Apache County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 56.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.3% |
| Mapped soil | 6,760,917 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Clovis | 6% | n/a |
| Sheppard | 4% | n/a |
| Palma | 3% | n/a |
| Thunderbird | 3% | n/a |
| Tours | 2% | n/a |
| Rudd | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AZ635 (2025-08-26), AZ683 (2025-08-27), AZ711 (2025-08-27), AZ712 (2025-08-27), AZ713 (2025-08-27), AZ715 (2025-08-27), NM717 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.94 in, 0.84 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 11.78 in.
USDA rates 57% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Apache County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
81.5% 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 31 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 81.5% |
| D2 severe or worse | 24.4% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $8,485 paid. The worst year was 2023, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 11.78 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.94 in (-0.84) |
| 2025 | 8.61 in (-3.17) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 23.45 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1950: 6.23 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PAINTED DESERT NP (27 mi away) | 0.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 28,997 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $63,700 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navajo County, AZ | 47 mi | 7% | under 1% |
| McKinley County, NM | 71 mi | 22% | under 1% |
| Cibola County, NM | 90 mi | 33% | 3% |
| San Juan County, NM | 102 mi | 5% | 2% |
| Catron County, NM | 120 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Coconino County, AZ | 132 mi | 15% | 1% |
| Gila County, AZ | 133 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Montezuma County, CO | 144 mi | 13% | 2% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status