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Grant County, New Mexico

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 38% of Grant County's mapped land, a higher share than 86% of US counties and the 3rd highest of 33 New Mexico counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.

The soil survey maps 73% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. 99.7% 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. 54% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

38%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

<1%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

54%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Grant County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)38.0%
High water table (limits basements)0.3%
Septic fields very limited91.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.3%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)43.2%
Mapped soil1,854,367 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Lonti11%n/a
Luzena8%n/a
Stellar6%n/a
Muzzler6%n/a
Mohave4%n/a
Manzano4%n/a
Luna County: 28%Greenlee County: 35%Hidalgo County: 34%Sierra County: 13%Catron County: 23%Graham County: 32%Doña Ana County: 1%Cochise County: 28%Grant County LunaGreenleeHidalgoSierraCatronGrahamDoña AnaCochiseGrant
Grant 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 NM662 (2025-09-09)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.3% by land area here, and 43% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 38% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 99.7% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 38% of Grant County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 13.80 in, 1.33 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 15.13 in.

USDA rates 92% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

99.7% 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 50 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse99.7%
D2 severe or worse20.9%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 1.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20190
20200
20211
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202015.13 in
12 months to August 202613.80 in (-1.33)
202510.82 in (-4.31)
Wettest year since 18951905: 28.55 in
Driest year since 18951956: 6.74 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLIFF 11 SE (10 mi away)1.7

Homes

Housing units14,755
Median year built1978
Built before 198054%
Built 2000 or later16%
Owner-occupied76%
Median value, owner-occupied$175,600
Single-family detached62%

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
Luna County, NM 53 mi 28% under 1%
Greenlee County, AZ 61 mi 35% 1%
Hidalgo County, NM 62 mi 34% 1%
Sierra County, NM 74 mi 13% 1%
Catron County, NM 81 mi 23% under 1%
Graham County, AZ 88 mi 32% under 1%
Doña Ana County, NM 94 mi 1% 1%
Cochise County, AZ 102 mi 28% under 1%

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