Ouray County, Colorado
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19% of Ouray County's mapped land, a higher share than 68% of US counties and the 10th highest of 63 Colorado counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 6%.
99.7% 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. 32% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1995.
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 Ouray County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 18.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 18.6% |
| Mapped soil | 321,001 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Cerro | 8% | n/a |
| Gothic | 5% | n/a |
| Curecanti | 5% | n/a |
| Wellsbasin | 5% | n/a |
| Needleton | 4% | n/a |
| Arabrab | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO674 (2025-08-29), CO677 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and 19% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 99.7% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 19% of Ouray County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.72 in, 3.82 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.54 in.
USDA rates 85% 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 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 38 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 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 | 2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Ouray County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 21.54 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.72 in (-3.82) |
| 2025 | 17.16 in (-4.38) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 37.49 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1900: 13.24 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at RIDGWAY (2 mi away) | 0.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,531 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 32% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $739,800 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan County, CO | 27 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 31 mi | under 1% | 2% |
| Montrose County, CO | 31 mi | 22% | 5% |
| San Miguel County, CO | 36 mi | 3% | 1% |
| Dolores County, CO | 49 mi | 12% | 2% |
| Delta County, CO | 49 mi | 12% | 3% |
| Gunnison County, CO | 53 mi | 9% | 6% |
| Mineral County, CO | 60 mi | 1% | 5% |
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