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Butte County, California
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 31% of Butte County's mapped land, a higher share than 81% of US counties and the 9th highest of 54 California counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 27%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 71 flood losses here since 2016, 6% of them in buildings with basements. 49% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 Butte County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 26.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 32.6% |
| Mapped soil | 1,410,346 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Esquon | 4% | n/a |
| Dunstone | 3% | n/a |
| Lofgren | 2% | n/a |
| Neerdobe | 2% | n/a |
| Blavo | 2% | n/a |
| Paradiso | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CA612 (2025-09-05), CA708 (2025-09-03), CA713 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 33% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 31% of the mapped land.
On 27% of Butte County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 43.57 in, 0.65 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.22 in.
USDA rates 79% 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. No part of the county was in drought in the last 52 weeks.
| 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
71 flood losses since 2016, $2.6 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 32. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 6% basements, 61% slabs, 25% crawl spaces, 8% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 9 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 9 |
| 2019 | 32 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.22 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 43.57 in (-0.65) |
| 2025 | 43.60 in (-0.62) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 84.33 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2013: 12.19 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PARADISE (6 mi away) | 20.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 92,813 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 49% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 57% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $424,700 |
| Single-family detached | 61% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuba County, CA | 31 mi | 21% | 5% |
| Glenn County, CA | 43 mi | 38% | 15% |
| Sutter County, CA | 44 mi | 41% | 37% |
| Tehama County, CA | 46 mi | 15% | 3% |
| Plumas County, CA | 47 mi | 4% | 2% |
| Colusa County, CA | 48 mi | 55% | 37% |
| Nevada County, CA | 52 mi | 2% | 1% |
| Sierra County, CA | 58 mi | 5% | 9% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status