San Miguel County, Colorado
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of San Miguel County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 20% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
98% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 23% 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 San Miguel County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.6% |
| Mapped soil | 167,800 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lizardhead | 10% | n/a |
| Baird Hollow | 9% | n/a |
| Needleton | 6% | n/a |
| Tellura | 4% | n/a |
| Washboard | 3% | n/a |
| Mountpoor | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO672 (2025-08-29), CO674 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 16.04 in, 1.87 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 17.91 in.
USDA rates 82% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of San Miguel County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
98% 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 31 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 | 98% |
| D2 severe or worse | 38.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $17,002 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 17.91 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 16.04 in (-1.87) |
| 2025 | 14.80 in (-3.11) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 33.52 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2020: 10.38 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TELLURIDE 4WNW (30 mi away) | 0.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,656 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 23% |
| Built 2000 or later | 36% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $720,700 |
| Single-family detached | 49% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolores County, CO | 20 mi | 12% | 2% |
| Montrose County, CO | 29 mi | 22% | 5% |
| Ouray County, CO | 36 mi | 19% | 6% |
| San Juan County, CO | 44 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Montezuma County, CO | 47 mi | 13% | 2% |
| Hinsdale County, CO | 59 mi | under 1% | 2% |
| La Plata County, CO | 59 mi | 10% | 3% |
| Delta County, CO | 66 mi | 12% | 3% |
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