Shoshone County, Idaho
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Shoshone County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 4%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 85.4% 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. 73% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1959.
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 Shoshone County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 96.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 1,618,487 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Honeyjones | 4% | n/a |
| Ahrs | 3% | n/a |
| Bouldercreek | 3% | n/a |
| Marblecreek | 1% | n/a |
| Hugus | 1% | n/a |
| Threebear | 1% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas ID608 (2025-08-27), ID670 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 47.07 in, 0.54 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.61 in.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 4% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Shoshone County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
85.4% 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 9 weeks, most recently on the December 16, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 99.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 85.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 33.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $1,883 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.61 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 47.07 in (-0.54) |
| 2025 | 44.10 in (-3.51) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1996: 67.56 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1952: 28.34 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at KELLOGG (17 mi away) | 2.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,049 |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Built before 1980 | 73% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $267,400 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benewah County, ID | 36 mi | 1% | 40% |
| Mineral County, MT | 40 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Kootenai County, ID | 43 mi | 2% | 10% |
| Sanders County, MT | 43 mi | 2% | 3% |
| Clearwater County, ID | 48 mi | 1% | 14% |
| Latah County, ID | 54 mi | 5% | 43% |
| Spokane County, WA | 73 mi | 3% | 16% |
| Bonner County, ID | 76 mi | under 1% | 14% |
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