Greenlee County, Arizona
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 35% of Greenlee County's mapped land, a higher share than 84% of US counties and the highest of 15 Arizona counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
The soil survey maps 37% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. 89.2% 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. 51% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Greenlee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 34.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 61.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 37.4% |
| Mapped soil | 438,589 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Graham | 10% | n/a |
| Limpia | 9% | n/a |
| Tres Hermanos | 5% | n/a |
| Atascosa | 5% | n/a |
| Continental | 4% | n/a |
| Signal | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AZ663 (2025-08-27), AZ664 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.6% by land area here, and 37% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 35% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 89.2% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 35% of Greenlee County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 15.07 in, 1.76 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 16.83 in.
USDA rates 61% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
89.2% 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 40 weeks, most recently on the July 21, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 89.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $13,190 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 16.83 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 15.07 in (-1.76) |
| 2025 | 11.37 in (-5.46) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1905: 32.28 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1950: 8.65 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GLENWOOD (22 mi away) | 2.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,433 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 53% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $158,600 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graham County, AZ | 43 mi | 32% | under 1% |
| Grant County, NM | 61 mi | 38% | under 1% |
| Catron County, NM | 67 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Hidalgo County, NM | 97 mi | 34% | 1% |
| Gila County, AZ | 98 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Cochise County, AZ | 101 mi | 28% | under 1% |
| Luna County, NM | 113 mi | 28% | under 1% |
| Sierra County, NM | 119 mi | 13% | 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status