Mohave County, Arizona
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 6% of Mohave County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on under 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 50.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 96.5% a week earlier.
FEMA's flood data list 18 flood losses here since 2016. 19% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1995.
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 Mohave County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 54.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.9% |
| Mapped soil | 8,720,711 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Mellenthin | 3% | n/a |
| Huevi | 1% | n/a |
| Cellar | 1% | n/a |
| Sunrock | 1% | n/a |
| Quilotosa | 1% | n/a |
| Gunsight | 1% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AZ623 (2025-08-26), AZ625 (2025-08-26), AZ627 (2025-08-26), AZ697 (2025-08-27), AZ699 (2025-08-27), AZ701 (2025-08-27), NV608 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 7.37 in, 2.47 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 9.84 in.
USDA rates 54% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Mohave County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
50.7% 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 20 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 | 50.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
18 flood losses since 2016, $634,256 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 8.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 9.84 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 7.37 in (-2.47) |
| 2025 | 8.55 in (-1.29) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1978: 19.88 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 3.48 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MEADVIEW 1W (27 mi away) | 1.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 121,881 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 19% |
| Built 2000 or later | 38% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $281,000 |
| Single-family detached | 62% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, NV | 79 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Yavapai County, AZ | 99 mi | 29% | under 1% |
| Washington County, UT | 108 mi | 4% | 1% |
| Coconino County, AZ | 111 mi | 15% | 1% |
| La Paz County, AZ | 139 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| Lincoln County, NV | 146 mi | 6% | 1% |
| San Bernardino County, CA | 150 mi | 1% | under 1% |
| Kane County, UT | 152 mi | 4% | under 1% |
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