HomeNew MexicoMcKinley County

McKinley County, New Mexico

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22% of McKinley County's mapped land, a higher share than 72% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.

The soil survey maps 81% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. 57.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses here since 2016. 42% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

22%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

<1%

high water table: limits basements

57%

in drought, October 13, 2026

42%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under McKinley County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)21.7%
High water table (limits basements)0.5%
Septic fields very limited60.4%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)22.0%
Mapped soil2,824,859 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Parkelei3%n/a
Notal3%n/a
Skyvillage3%n/a
Evpark3%n/a
Eagleye2%n/a
Shiprock2%n/a
Cibola County: 33%San Juan County: 5%Apache County: 7%Sandoval County: 7%Bernalillo County: 9%Valencia County: 4%Rio Arriba County: 14%Los Alamos County: 25%McKinley County CibolaSan JuanApacheSandovalBernalilloValenciaRio ArribaLos AlamosMcKinley
McKinley 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 AZ715 (2025-08-27), NM682 (2025-09-09), NM692 (2025-09-09)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 22% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 57.3% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 22% of McKinley County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 9.73 in, 1.50 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 11.23 in.

USDA rates 60% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

57.3% 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.

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 worse57.3%
D2 severe or worse0.6%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

6 flood losses since 2016, $17,250 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 2.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20192
20200
20210
20220
20231
20240
20251
2026 to date2

Rain

Average year, 1991-202011.23 in
12 months to August 20269.73 in (-1.50)
20258.63 in (-2.60)
Wettest year since 18951941: 20.60 in
Driest year since 18951950: 5.26 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GALLUP MUNI AP (31 mi away)0.4

Homes

Housing units25,304
Median year built1985
Built before 198042%
Built 2000 or later22%
Owner-occupied70%
Median value, owner-occupied$78,700
Single-family detached64%

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
Cibola County, NM 48 mi 33% 3%
San Juan County, NM 66 mi 5% 2%
Apache County, AZ 71 mi 7% 2%
Sandoval County, NM 77 mi 7% 1%
Bernalillo County, NM 97 mi 9% under 1%
Valencia County, NM 101 mi 4% 3%
Rio Arriba County, NM 108 mi 14% 3%
Los Alamos County, NM 111 mi 25% 0%

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