Gunnison County, Colorado
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 9% of Gunnison County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 67% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 39% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.
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 Gunnison County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.4% |
| Mapped soil | 1,391,452 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Beenom | 5% | n/a |
| Lucky | 4% | n/a |
| Duffson | 4% | n/a |
| Kezar | 3% | n/a |
| Shule | 2% | n/a |
| Tex | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO661 (2025-08-29), CO662 (2025-09-02), CO663 (2025-08-29), CO674 (2025-08-29), CO677 (2025-08-29), CO679 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.12 in, 5.57 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 22.69 in.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 9% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Gunnison County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 31 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 99.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 97.3% |
| D4 exceptional | 21.7% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 22.69 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.12 in (-5.57) |
| 2025 | 17.78 in (-4.91) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 34.94 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1939: 14.07 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GUNNISON 3SW (11 mi away) | 0.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 12,506 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 39% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $621,800 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitkin County, CO | 39 mi | n/a | n/a |
| Chaffee County, CO | 41 mi | 1% | 5% |
| Delta County, CO | 45 mi | 12% | 3% |
| Lake County, CO | 53 mi | 0% | 15% |
| Ouray County, CO | 53 mi | 19% | 6% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 58 mi | under 1% | 2% |
| Saguache County, CO | 63 mi | 4% | 15% |
| Montrose County, CO | 68 mi | 22% | 5% |
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