Archuleta County, Colorado
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 53% of Archuleta County's mapped land, a higher share than 92% of US counties and the highest of 63 Colorado counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
The soil survey maps 40% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. 99.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 19% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1996.
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 Archuleta County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 53.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 33.7% |
| Mapped soil | 349,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Carracas | 11% | n/a |
| Payan | 8% | n/a |
| Valto | 5% | n/a |
| Echolake | 5% | n/a |
| Conejos | 4% | n/a |
| Ishkoten | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO668 (2025-08-29), CO672 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.2% by land area here, and 34% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 53% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 99.7% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 53% of Archuleta County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 18.59 in, 3.50 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 22.09 in.
USDA rates 79% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
99.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 99.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
7 flood losses since 2016, $122,589 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 5.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 22.09 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 18.59 in (-3.50) |
| 2025 | 18.67 in (-3.42) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 38.01 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2020: 13.70 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DULCE (19 mi away) | 0.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,858 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 19% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $478,100 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral County, CO | 27 mi | 1% | 5% |
| Rio Grande County, CO | 38 mi | under 1% | 42% |
| La Plata County, CO | 44 mi | 10% | 3% |
| Conejos County, CO | 48 mi | under 1% | 28% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 49 mi | under 1% | 2% |
| Rio Arriba County, NM | 52 mi | 14% | 3% |
| San Juan County, CO | 52 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Saguache County, CO | 73 mi | 4% | 15% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status