Lincoln County, Colorado
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17% of Lincoln County's mapped land, a higher share than 66% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.
1.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 63% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1967.
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 Lincoln County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 50.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 27.5% |
| Mapped soil | 1,653,712 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Weld | 7% | n/a |
| Valent | 6% | n/a |
| Vonid | 5% | n/a |
| Ascalon | 5% | n/a |
| Fort | 5% | n/a |
| Platner | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO073 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and 27% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 17% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 1.5% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 17% of Lincoln County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 13.32 in, 1.25 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 14.57 in.
USDA rates 51% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
1.5% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 49% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 1.5% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 14.57 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 13.32 in (-1.25) |
| 2025 | 15.40 in (+0.83) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 24.29 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 6.55 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LIMON WSMO (18 mi away) | 2.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,382 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 63% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $246,500 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elbert County, CO | 39 mi | 11% | 2% |
| Crowley County, CO | 50 mi | 46% | 1% |
| Cheyenne County, CO | 50 mi | 8% | under 1% |
| Kit Carson County, CO | 53 mi | 9% | 3% |
| El Paso County, CO | 56 mi | 6% | 1% |
| Kiowa County, CO | 58 mi | 10% | 1% |
| Arapahoe County, CO | 63 mi | 22% | 1% |
| Washington County, CO | 69 mi | 11% | 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