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Socorro County, New Mexico

USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 4% of Socorro County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 84% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.

34% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 13 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

4%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

1%

high water table: limits basements

34%

in drought, October 13, 2026

50%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Socorro County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)4.1%
High water table (limits basements)1.1%
Septic fields very limited56.9%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)4.1%
Mapped soil3,578,483 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Harvey4%n/a
Turney3%n/a
Nickel3%n/a
Datil3%n/a
Bluepoint2%n/a
Whitlock2%n/a
Valencia County: 4%Sierra County: 13%Torrance County: 5%Bernalillo County: 9%Catron County: 23%Lincoln County: 2%Cibola County: 33%Doña Ana County: 1%Socorro County ValenciaSierraTorranceBernalilloCatronLincolnCibolaDoña AnaSocorro
Socorro 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 NM664 (2025-09-08), NM688 (2025-09-09)

What the numbers mean here

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 9.09 in, 2.55 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 11.64 in.

USDA rates 57% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

With shrink-swell clay on 4% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Socorro County; conditions still vary lot by lot.

Drought

34% 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 worse34%
D2 severe or worse1.9%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

13 flood losses since 2016, $416,368 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 3.

YearFlood losses
20161
20172
20182
20191
20201
20213
20220
20230
20240
20253
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202011.64 in
12 months to August 20269.09 in (-2.55)
20258.79 in (-2.85)
Wettest year since 18951941: 20.04 in
Driest year since 18951956: 4.56 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BOSQUE DEL APACHE (13 mi away)1.3

Homes

Housing units7,693
Median year built1980
Built before 198050%
Built 2000 or later16%
Owner-occupied75%
Median value, owner-occupied$137,500
Single-family detached50%

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
Valencia County, NM 51 mi 4% 3%
Sierra County, NM 62 mi 13% 1%
Torrance County, NM 71 mi 5% 1%
Bernalillo County, NM 75 mi 9% under 1%
Catron County, NM 84 mi 23% under 1%
Lincoln County, NM 87 mi 2% under 1%
Cibola County, NM 88 mi 33% 3%
Doña Ana County, NM 114 mi 1% 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