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Otero County, New Mexico
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Otero County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 88% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
74.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 17 flood losses here since 2016. 41% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Otero County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 75.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.4% |
| Mapped soil | 3,737,298 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lozier | 6% | n/a |
| Tome | 5% | n/a |
| Deama | 5% | n/a |
| Copia | 4% | n/a |
| Peso | 4% | n/a |
| Philder | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NM636 (2025-09-09), NM646 (2025-09-09), NM688 (2025-09-09), NM719 (2025-09-09), NM780 (2025-09-09), NM781 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.87 in, 2.34 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 13.21 in.
USDA rates 76% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Otero County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
74.8% 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 14 weeks, most recently on the January 20, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 90.3% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 74.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 23.6% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
17 flood losses since 2016, $169,057 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 13.21 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.87 in (-2.34) |
| 2025 | 10.27 in (-2.94) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 26.19 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 5.88 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MTN PARK (24 mi away) | 3.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 32,645 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 41% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $162,700 |
| Single-family detached | 58% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso County, TX | 66 mi | 4% | 0% |
| Doña Ana County, NM | 66 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Lincoln County, NM | 80 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| Hudspeth County, TX | 83 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Eddy County, NM | 85 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| Sierra County, NM | 90 mi | 13% | 1% |
| Chaves County, NM | 90 mi | 4% | 1% |
| Culberson County, TX | 108 mi | 2% | 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