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Cibola County, New Mexico
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 33% of Cibola County's mapped land, a higher share than 82% of US counties and the 5th highest of 33 New Mexico counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
The soil survey maps 88% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. 50% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. 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 1978.
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 Cibola County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 32.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 37.0% |
| Mapped soil | 2,557,656 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Flugle | 6% | n/a |
| Penistaja | 5% | n/a |
| Teco | 5% | n/a |
| Cabezon | 3% | n/a |
| Mion | 3% | n/a |
| Catman | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NM682 (2025-09-09), NM692 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and 37% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 33% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 50% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 33% of Cibola County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.46 in, 1.87 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 12.33 in.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
50% 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 49 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 50% |
| D2 severe or worse | 9.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4 flood losses since 2016, $279,836 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 12.33 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.46 in (-1.87) |
| 2025 | 9.44 in (-2.89) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1905: 22.39 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1950: 5.32 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GRANTS AP (17 mi away) | 0.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,236 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $125,400 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKinley County, NM | 48 mi | 22% | under 1% |
| Valencia County, NM | 69 mi | 4% | 3% |
| Catron County, NM | 75 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 75 mi | 9% | under 1% |
| Sandoval County, NM | 82 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Socorro County, NM | 88 mi | 4% | 1% |
| Apache County, AZ | 90 mi | 7% | 2% |
| San Juan County, NM | 113 mi | 5% | 2% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status