Maui County, Hawaii
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 4% of Maui County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 5%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the November 3, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 309 flood losses here since 2016, 3% of them in buildings with basements. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, November 3, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Maui County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 4.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.4% |
| Mapped soil | 756,311 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Molokai | 4% | n/a |
| Waiakoa | 3% | n/a |
| Lahaina | 2% | n/a |
| Keahua | 2% | n/a |
| Puu Pa | 2% | n/a |
| Amalu | 1% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas HI950 (2025-09-09), HI970 (2025-09-09), HI980 (2025-09-09), HI995 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 94.30 in, 40.10 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 54.20 in.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 4% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Maui County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 19 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 10 weeks, most recently on the February 3, 2026 map.
| Category, November 3, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
309 flood losses since 2016, $19.9 million paid. The worst year was 2026, with 158. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 3% basements, 70% slabs, 3% crawl spaces, 23% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 11 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 16 |
| 2017 | 19 |
| 2018 | 24 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 31 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 23 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 21 |
| 2026 to date | 158 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 54.20 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 94.30 in (+40.10) |
| 2025 | 32.62 in (-21.58) |
| Wettest year since 1991 | 2018: 79.40 in |
| Driest year since 1991 | 2022: 27.70 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at KAPALUA-W MAUI AP 462.4 (9 mi away) | 4.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 72,279 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 40% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $904,700 |
| Single-family detached | 60% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalawao County, HI | 35 mi | n/a | n/a |
| Honolulu County, HI | 111 mi | 12% | 4% |
| Hawaii County, HI | 112 mi | 4% | 4% |
| Kauai County, HI | 215 mi | 5% | 8% |
| San Francisco County, CA | 2316 mi | 0% | 3% |
| Marin County, CA | 2339 mi | 20% | 6% |
| Mendocino County, CA | 2341 mi | 9% | 6% |
| Sonoma County, CA | 2342 mi | 22% | 5% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status