Routt County, Colorado
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 40% of Routt County's mapped land, a higher share than 87% of US counties and the 4th highest of 63 Colorado counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 10%.
The soil survey maps 62% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. 100% 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. 31% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1993.
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 Routt County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 40.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 39.5% |
| Mapped soil | 934,818 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Foidel | 11% | n/a |
| Lintim | 9% | n/a |
| Routt | 6% | n/a |
| Impass | 5% | n/a |
| Rabbitears | 5% | n/a |
| Bulkley | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO648 (2025-08-29), CO684 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.3% by land area here, and 40% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 40% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 40% of Routt County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 21.33 in, 4.22 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 25.55 in.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% 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 52 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 59.3% |
| D4 exceptional | 26.4% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 25.55 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 21.33 in (-4.22) |
| 2025 | 21.30 in (-4.25) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 35.11 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1902: 17.09 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at STEAMBOAT SPRINGS (9 mi away) | 1.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 17,169 |
| Median year built | 1993 |
| Built before 1980 | 31% |
| Built 2000 or later | 35% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $854,700 |
| Single-family detached | 52% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, CO | 37 mi | 18% | 16% |
| Grand County, CO | 53 mi | 5% | 6% |
| Eagle County, CO | 61 mi | 4% | 1% |
| Moffat County, CO | 65 mi | 10% | 1% |
| Rio Blanco County, CO | 73 mi | 8% | 1% |
| Summit County, CO | 75 mi | 4% | 5% |
| Garfield County, CO | 78 mi | 5% | 1% |
| Larimer County, CO | 80 mi | 6% | 4% |
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