Gila County, Arizona
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30% of Gila County's mapped land, a higher share than 80% of US counties and the 3rd highest of 15 Arizona counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
The soil survey maps 44% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 33 flood losses here since 2016, 7% of them in buildings with basements. 39% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1986.
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 Gila County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 67.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 31.9% |
| Mapped soil | 1,332,752 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Showlow | 7% | n/a |
| Chevelon | 5% | n/a |
| Tortugas | 3% | n/a |
| Thunderbird | 3% | n/a |
| Eloma | 3% | n/a |
| Cibeque | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AZ643 (2025-08-28), AZ661 (2025-08-27), AZ675 (2025-08-27), AZ683 (2025-08-27), AZ687 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.3% by land area here, and 32% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 19.13 in, 0.53 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 18.60 in.
USDA rates 68% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 50 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 21 weeks, most recently on the August 18, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
33 flood losses since 2016, $1.3 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 16. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 7% basements, 56% slabs, 30% crawl spaces, 7% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 11 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 16 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.60 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 19.13 in (+0.53) |
| 2025 | 15.88 in (-2.72) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1905: 42.16 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2002: 9.83 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROOSEVELT 1 S (20 mi away) | 3.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 32,742 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 39% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $269,400 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinal County, AZ | 68 mi | 15% | under 1% |
| Graham County, AZ | 80 mi | 32% | under 1% |
| Greenlee County, AZ | 98 mi | 35% | 1% |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 102 mi | 3% | 1% |
| Navajo County, AZ | 114 mi | 7% | under 1% |
| Yavapai County, AZ | 118 mi | 29% | under 1% |
| Pima County, AZ | 128 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Apache County, AZ | 133 mi | 7% | 2% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status