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Mora County, New Mexico
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 46% of Mora County's mapped land, a higher share than 90% of US counties and the 2nd highest of 33 New Mexico counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
The soil survey maps 79% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 64 flood losses here since 2016, 5% of them in buildings with basements. 44% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Mora County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 46.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 49.7% |
| Mapped soil | 967,409 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Partri | 9% | n/a |
| Bernal | 5% | n/a |
| Apache | 5% | n/a |
| Capulin | 5% | n/a |
| Sombordoro | 4% | n/a |
| Carnero | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NM638 (2025-09-09), NM670 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.7% by land area here, and 50% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 46% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 46% of Mora County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 14.11 in, 4.57 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.68 in.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 34.1% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
64 flood losses since 2016, $478,251 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 34. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 5% basements, 50% slabs, 39% crawl spaces, 6% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 23 |
| 2025 | 34 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.68 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 14.11 in (-4.57) |
| 2025 | 18.69 in (+0.01) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 31.95 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 8.17 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OCATE 2 NW (16 mi away) | 3.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,923 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 44% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 87% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $122,600 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Miguel County, NM | 36 mi | 23% | 1% |
| Colfax County, NM | 46 mi | 52% | 2% |
| Taos County, NM | 57 mi | 12% | 2% |
| Harding County, NM | 60 mi | 15% | 1% |
| Santa Fe County, NM | 67 mi | 6% | under 1% |
| Guadalupe County, NM | 77 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| Los Alamos County, NM | 78 mi | 25% | 0% |
| Union County, NM | 88 mi | 28% | 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