Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16% of Santa Cruz County's mapped land, a higher share than 65% of US counties and the 6th highest of 15 Arizona counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 16 flood losses here since 2016. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1991.
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 Santa Cruz County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 66.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.0% |
| Mapped soil | 792,137 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lampshire | 12% | n/a |
| White House | 9% | n/a |
| Caralampi | 8% | n/a |
| Chiricahua | 5% | n/a |
| Bernardino | 5% | n/a |
| Graham | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.3% by land area here, and 22% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 16% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 20.99 in, 3.40 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 17.59 in.
USDA rates 67% 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 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 12 weeks, most recently on the January 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 5% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
16 flood losses since 2016, $47,446 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 5.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 17.59 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 20.99 in (+3.40) |
| 2025 | 13.18 in (-4.41) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1905: 33.22 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 10.04 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PATAGONIA PATON CTR (5 mi away) | 3.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 19,232 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 34% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $233,000 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cochise County, AZ | 67 mi | 28% | under 1% |
| Pima County, AZ | 69 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Pinal County, AZ | 101 mi | 15% | under 1% |
| Graham County, AZ | 112 mi | 32% | under 1% |
| Hidalgo County, NM | 126 mi | 34% | 1% |
| Greenlee County, AZ | 151 mi | 35% | 1% |
| Gila County, AZ | 156 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 158 mi | 3% | 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status