Elbert County, Colorado
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 11% of Elbert County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 9.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 18% 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 Elbert County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 11.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 42.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 23.3% |
| Mapped soil | 1,165,567 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Bresser | 17% | n/a |
| Ascalon | 7% | n/a |
| Weld | 6% | n/a |
| Truckton | 6% | n/a |
| Kutch | 4% | n/a |
| Renohill | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO623 (2025-08-29), CO624 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 14.26 in, 3.01 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 17.27 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 11% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Elbert County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
9.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the April 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 27.6% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 9.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Elbert County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 17.27 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 14.26 in (-3.01) |
| 2025 | 18.59 in (+1.32) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 26.35 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 8.13 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LIMON WSMO (23 mi away) | 2.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,510 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 18% |
| Built 2000 or later | 39% |
| Owner-occupied | 95% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $709,800 |
| Single-family detached | 94% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arapahoe County, CO | 26 mi | 22% | 1% |
| Lincoln County, CO | 39 mi | 17% | 2% |
| El Paso County, CO | 40 mi | 6% | 1% |
| Adams County, CO | 40 mi | 11% | 2% |
| Douglas County, CO | 43 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Denver County, CO | 51 mi | 15% | 3% |
| Jefferson County, CO | 63 mi | 17% | 2% |
| Teller County, CO | 64 mi | 2% | 4% |
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