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Phillips County, Montana

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 64% of Phillips County's mapped land, a higher share than 95% of US counties and the highest of 53 Montana counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, after 7% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses here since 2016. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

64%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

2%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

56%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Phillips County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)64.0%
High water table (limits basements)2.2%
Septic fields very limited77.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)6.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)64.3%
Mapped soil3,775,528 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Phillips10%n/a
Elloam10%n/a
Kevin9%n/a
Hillon6%n/a
Scobey6%n/a
Neldore6%n/a
Blaine County: 44%Valley County: 51%Petroleum County: 57%Garfield County: 22%Fergus County: 51%Hill County: 29%McCone County: 12%Daniels County: 3%Phillips County BlaineValleyPetroleumGarfieldFergusHillMcConeDanielsPhillips
Phillips County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas MT608 (2025-08-30), MT641 (2025-09-03)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.6% by land area here, and 64% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 64% of the mapped land.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 12.27 in, 1.17 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 13.44 in.

USDA rates 78% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the March 31, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse34.6%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

4 flood losses since 2016, $35,629 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 4.

YearFlood losses
20164
20170
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202013.44 in
12 months to August 202612.27 in (-1.17)
202512.55 in (-0.89)
Wettest year since 18951927: 21.50 in
Driest year since 18952017: 7.32 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MALTA 7 E (14 mi away)2

Homes

Housing units2,233
Median year built1974
Built before 198056%
Built 2000 or later17%
Owner-occupied74%
Median value, owner-occupied$197,600
Single-family detached76%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Blaine County, MT 49 mi 44% 2%
Valley County, MT 58 mi 51% 2%
Petroleum County, MT 78 mi 57% under 1%
Garfield County, MT 81 mi 22% under 1%
Fergus County, MT 93 mi 51% 3%
Hill County, MT 103 mi 29% 3%
McCone County, MT 109 mi 12% under 1%
Daniels County, MT 116 mi 3% 1%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 3, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status