Pueblo County, Colorado
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17% of Pueblo County's mapped land, a higher share than 67% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.
74.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 15 flood losses here since 2016. 59% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.
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 Pueblo County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 63.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 19.8% |
| Mapped soil | 1,513,882 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Manvel | 17% | n/a |
| Minnequa | 8% | n/a |
| Penrose | 6% | n/a |
| Wilid | 5% | n/a |
| Olney | 4% | n/a |
| Midway | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO626 (2025-08-29), CO636 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.6% by land area here, and 20% 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: 74.7% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 17% of Pueblo County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 9.24 in, 4.23 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 13.47 in.
USDA rates 63% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
74.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 18 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 74.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 53.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 4.4% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
15 flood losses since 2016, $33,450 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 13.47 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 9.24 in (-4.23) |
| 2025 | 12.58 in (-0.89) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 21.52 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2002: 5.71 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PUEBLO MEM AP (9 mi away) | 1.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 73,646 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 59% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $291,300 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crowley County, CO | 40 mi | 46% | 1% |
| Huerfano County, CO | 42 mi | 13% | 2% |
| Otero County, CO | 46 mi | 19% | 2% |
| El Paso County, CO | 46 mi | 6% | 1% |
| Custer County, CO | 48 mi | 2% | 7% |
| Fremont County, CO | 55 mi | 5% | 2% |
| Teller County, CO | 63 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Las Animas County, CO | 63 mi | 27% | 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