Richland County, Montana
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 8% of Richland County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 62.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Richland County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.4% |
| Mapped soil | 1,341,686 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Zahill | 13% | n/a |
| Lambert | 11% | n/a |
| Williams | 11% | 0% |
| Vida | 10% | n/a |
| Lonna | 6% | n/a |
| Cherry | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MT083 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.49 in, 4.19 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 14.68 in.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 8% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Richland County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
62.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 45 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 18 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 90.7% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 62.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 26.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $32,196 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 14.68 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.49 in (-4.19) |
| 2025 | 14.23 in (-0.45) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1906: 23.39 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 5.75 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SIDNEY (20 mi away) | 1.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,610 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 31% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $263,000 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson County, MT | 39 mi | 8% | 1% |
| Roosevelt County, MT | 40 mi | 10% | 2% |
| McKenzie County, ND | 54 mi | 16% | 4% |
| McCone County, MT | 57 mi | 12% | under 1% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 58 mi | 22% | 2% |
| Williams County, ND | 63 mi | 8% | 9% |
| Sheridan County, MT | 64 mi | 6% | 2% |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 67 mi | 7% | 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