Kit Carson County, Colorado
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 9% of Kit Carson 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 no flood losses here since 2016. 70% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1970.
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 Kit Carson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 9.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 25.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.3% |
| Mapped soil | 1,382,600 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Norka | 16% | n/a |
| Colby | 10% | n/a |
| Richfield | 6% | 12% |
| Wages | 6% | n/a |
| Weld | 6% | n/a |
| Kuma | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO063 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 15.06 in, 2.33 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 17.39 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 9% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Kit Carson 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 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 37.5% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Kit Carson County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 17.39 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 15.06 in (-2.33) |
| 2025 | 18.89 in (+1.50) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 26.98 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 8.54 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BURLINGTON (18 mi away) | 3.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,428 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 70% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $239,500 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne County, CO | 32 mi | 8% | under 1% |
| Sherman County, KS | 47 mi | 3% | 3% |
| Yuma County, CO | 49 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Wallace County, KS | 52 mi | 4% | 3% |
| Lincoln County, CO | 53 mi | 17% | 2% |
| Washington County, CO | 56 mi | 11% | 1% |
| Cheyenne County, KS | 57 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Kiowa County, CO | 64 mi | 10% | 1% |
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