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Amador County, California

USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Amador County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 3%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.

FEMA's flood data list 21 flood losses here since 2016. 42% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

3%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

42%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Amador County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)1.3%
High water table (limits basements)3.0%
Septic fields very limited85.4%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)1.2%
Mapped soil368,874 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Auburn13%n/a
Mariposa7%n/a
Exchequer6%n/a
Josephine5%n/a
Cohasset4%n/a
Sites4%n/a
Calaveras County: 2%El Dorado County: 1%Sacramento County: 16%Placer County: 7%Alpine County: 2%Tuolumne County: 1%San Joaquin County: 30%Nevada County: 2%Amador County CalaverasEl DoradoSacramentoPlacerAlpineTuolumneSan JoaquinNevadaAmador
Amador County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas CA628 (2025-09-02), CA724 (2025-09-02), CA731 (2025-09-02)

What the numbers mean here

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 36.38 in, 0.06 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 36.32 in.

USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Amador County; conditions still vary lot by lot.

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 1 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 20.9% of its area, on the April 7, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

21 flood losses since 2016, $1.0 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 10.

YearFlood losses
20160
201710
20180
20192
20200
20210
20229
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202036.32 in
12 months to August 202636.38 in (+0.06)
202535.31 in (-1.01)
Wettest year since 18951983: 68.89 in
Driest year since 18951976: 11.61 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FIDDLETOWN DEXTER RCH (6 mi away)13

Homes

Housing units19,019
Median year built1984
Built before 198042%
Built 2000 or later25%
Owner-occupied80%
Median value, owner-occupied$449,800
Single-family detached84%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Calaveras County, CA 18 mi 2% 2%
El Dorado County, CA 24 mi 1% 2%
Sacramento County, CA 37 mi 16% 26%
Placer County, CA 43 mi 7% 4%
Alpine County, CA 45 mi 2% 7%
Tuolumne County, CA 47 mi 1% 2%
San Joaquin County, CA 49 mi 30% 23%
Nevada County, CA 60 mi 2% 1%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status