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Teton County, Montana

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23% of Teton County's mapped land, a higher share than 73% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 8%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 71% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1962.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

23%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

8%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

71%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Teton County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)22.9%
High water table (limits basements)7.8%
Septic fields very limited74.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)23.4%
Mapped soil1,354,166 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Rothiemay7%n/a
Niart6%n/a
Scobey5%n/a
Kevin5%n/a
Delpoint4%n/a
Crago3%n/a
Pondera County: 35%Lewis and Clark County: 6%Cascade County: 35%Toole County: 29%Glacier County: 22%Powell County: 10%Liberty County: 34%Lake County: 2%Teton County PonderaLewis and ClarkCascadeTooleGlacierPowellLibertyLakeTeton
Teton 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 MT633 (2025-08-30), MT657 (2025-09-03)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% by land area here, and 23% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.73 in, 0.52 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 17.21 in.

USDA rates 75% 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 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 weeks, most recently on the December 9, 2025 map.

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

Flood losses since 2016

1 flood losses since 2016, $28,322 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 1.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20181
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202017.21 in
12 months to August 202617.73 in (+0.52)
202515.17 in (-2.04)
Wettest year since 18951927: 29.20 in
Driest year since 18951973: 9.57 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHOTEAU (4 mi away)1

Homes

Housing units2,945
Median year built1962
Built before 198071%
Built 2000 or later15%
Owner-occupied76%
Median value, owner-occupied$264,000
Single-family detached83%

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
Pondera County, MT 28 mi 35% 4%
Lewis and Clark County, MT 48 mi 6% 3%
Cascade County, MT 55 mi 35% 2%
Toole County, MT 62 mi 29% 3%
Glacier County, MT 69 mi 22% 2%
Powell County, MT 74 mi 10% 6%
Liberty County, MT 76 mi 34% 3%
Lake County, MT 85 mi 2% 3%

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