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Santa Fe County, New Mexico

USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 6% of Santa Fe County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on under 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 82% 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 15 flood losses here since 2016. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

6%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

<1%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

34%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Santa Fe County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)5.6%
High water table (limits basements)0.3%
Septic fields very limited62.8%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)12.1%
Urban land, not rated1.9%
Mapped soil1,006,446 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Hyer3%n/a
Arojomil3%n/a
Witt3%n/a
Encantado3%n/a
Truehill2%n/a
Panky2%n/a
Los Alamos County: 25%Bernalillo County: 9%Sandoval County: 7%San Miguel County: 23%Torrance County: 5%Mora County: 46%Valencia County: 4%Taos County: 12%Santa Fe County Los AlamosBernalilloSandovalSan MiguelTorranceMoraValenciaTaosSanta Fe
Santa Fe 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 NM687 (2025-09-09)

What the numbers mean here

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 11.68 in, 3.09 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 14.77 in.

USDA rates 63% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Santa Fe County; conditions still vary lot by lot.

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 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 31 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 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 worse100%
D2 severe or worse99.5%
D3 extreme or worse1.5%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

15 flood losses since 2016, $625,847 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 9.

YearFlood losses
20162
20170
20189
20190
20200
20211
20222
20230
20240
20251
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202014.77 in
12 months to August 202611.68 in (-3.09)
202516.96 in (+2.19)
Wettest year since 18951941: 24.25 in
Driest year since 18951956: 5.70 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SANTA FE 2 (7 mi away)1

Homes

Housing units78,834
Median year built1989
Built before 198034%
Built 2000 or later29%
Owner-occupied72%
Median value, owner-occupied$446,300
Single-family detached63%

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
Los Alamos County, NM 31 mi 25% 0%
Bernalillo County, NM 51 mi 9% under 1%
Sandoval County, NM 53 mi 7% 1%
San Miguel County, NM 65 mi 23% 1%
Torrance County, NM 66 mi 5% 1%
Mora County, NM 67 mi 46% under 1%
Valencia County, NM 73 mi 4% 3%
Taos County, NM 76 mi 12% 2%

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