Phillips County, Colorado
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Phillips County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on under 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 32.2% 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 Phillips County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 61.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 18.7% |
| Mapped soil | 420,683 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Rago | 26% | n/a |
| Platner | 16% | n/a |
| Haxtun | 13% | n/a |
| Kuma | 11% | n/a |
| Valent | 9% | n/a |
| Richfield | 4% | 12% |
How we count · survey areas CO095 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 16.76 in, 1.07 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 17.83 in.
USDA rates 61% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Phillips County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
32.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 weeks, most recently on the August 11, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 74.2% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 32.2% |
| 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 Phillips County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 17.83 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 16.76 in (-1.07) |
| 2025 | 20.81 in (+2.98) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 30.47 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 9.96 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HOLYOKE (3 mi away) | 3.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,164 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 70% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $258,200 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedgwick County, CO | 19 mi | under 1% | 5% |
| Chase County, NE | 34 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Deuel County, NE | 36 mi | 1% | 3% |
| Logan County, CO | 40 mi | 9% | 5% |
| Yuma County, CO | 41 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Perkins County, NE | 42 mi | 2% | 2% |
| Dundy County, NE | 45 mi | under 1% | 3% |
| Cheyenne County, NE | 55 mi | 1% | 2% |
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