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Luna County, New Mexico

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 28% of Luna County's mapped land, a higher share than 78% of US counties and the 8th highest of 33 New Mexico counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.

80% 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. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

28%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

<1%

high water table: limits basements

80%

in drought, October 13, 2026

50%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Luna County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)27.7%
High water table (limits basements)0.1%
Septic fields very limited88.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.3%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)28.8%
Mapped soil1,897,754 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Mohave11%n/a
Hondale10%n/a
Stellar9%n/a
Mimbres8%n/a
Upton6%n/a
Nickel5%n/a
Grant County: 38%Doña Ana County: 1%Hidalgo County: 34%Sierra County: 13%El Paso County: 4%Greenlee County: 35%Otero County: 3%Cochise County: 28%Luna County GrantDoña AnaHidalgoSierraEl PasoGreenleeOteroCochiseLuna
Luna 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 NM029 (2025-09-09)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.3% by land area here, and 29% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 28% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 80% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 28% of Luna County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 9.07 in, 0.99 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 10.06 in.

USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

80% 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 17 weeks, most recently on the February 10, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse98.4%
D1 moderate drought or worse80%
D2 severe or worse33.5%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

1 flood losses since 2016, $62,607 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 1.

YearFlood losses
20160
20171
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202010.06 in
12 months to August 20269.07 in (-0.99)
20258.29 in (-1.77)
Wettest year since 18951986: 18.66 in
Driest year since 18951956: 3.49 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DEMING (5 mi away)0.7

Homes

Housing units11,621
Median year built1980
Built before 198050%
Built 2000 or later19%
Owner-occupied71%
Median value, owner-occupied$128,000
Single-family detached57%

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
Grant County, NM 53 mi 38% under 1%
Doña Ana County, NM 54 mi 1% 1%
Hidalgo County, NM 62 mi 34% 1%
Sierra County, NM 72 mi 13% 1%
El Paso County, TX 93 mi 4% 0%
Greenlee County, AZ 113 mi 35% 1%
Otero County, NM 120 mi 3% 2%
Cochise County, AZ 121 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