Bear Lake County, Idaho
A shallow water table limits basements on 16% of Bear Lake County's mapped land and the 6th highest of 43 Idaho counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6%.
100% 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. 58% 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 Bear Lake County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 16.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.2% |
| Mapped soil | 627,616 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Lake | 5% | n/a |
| Broad Canyon | 3% | n/a |
| Lago | 3% | n/a |
| Sprollow | 2% | n/a |
| Lonjon | 2% | n/a |
| Dranburn | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas ID712 (2025-08-27), ID713 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
On 16% of Bear Lake County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 21.64 in, 0.37 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 22.01 in.
USDA rates 85% 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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 39 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 | 73% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Bear Lake County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 22.01 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 21.64 in (-0.37) |
| 2025 | 22.56 in (+0.55) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 33.93 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1939: 13.38 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BERN (4 mi away) | 0.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,020 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 90% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $275,000 |
| Single-family detached | 93% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, ID | 27 mi | 21% | 8% |
| Lincoln County, WY | 33 mi | 19% | 5% |
| Caribou County, ID | 36 mi | 13% | 4% |
| Cache County, UT | 44 mi | 22% | 18% |
| Rich County, UT | 46 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Bannock County, ID | 54 mi | n/a | n/a |
| Oneida County, ID | 61 mi | 5% | 4% |
| Weber County, UT | 76 mi | 7% | 20% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status