Carson City, Nevada
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 11% of Carson City's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 5%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 94.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 9 flood losses here since 2016. 49% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 Carson City
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 70.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.2% |
| Urban land, not rated | 3.1% |
| Mapped soil | 93,087 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Koontz | 7% | n/a |
| Surpass | 6% | n/a |
| Glenbrook | 4% | n/a |
| Toiyabe | 4% | n/a |
| Haybourne | 4% | n/a |
| Cagwin | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CA693 (2025-09-02), NV629 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 14.09 in, 0.19 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 14.28 in.
USDA rates 71% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 11% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Carson City; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
94.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 13 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 94.8% of its area, in 8 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 | 94.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
9 flood losses since 2016, $85,216 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 14.28 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 14.09 in (-0.19) |
| 2025 | 15.54 in (+1.26) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 27.63 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2013: 5.16 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GLENBROOK (12 mi away) | 3.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 25,156 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 49% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $453,000 |
| Single-family detached | 60% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, NV | 19 mi | 20% | 9% |
| Storey County, NV | 23 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Lyon County, NV | 31 mi | 11% | 8% |
| Alpine County, CA | 38 mi | 2% | 7% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 49 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Sierra County, CA | 51 mi | 5% | 9% |
| Placer County, CA | 52 mi | 7% | 4% |
| Nevada County, CA | 54 mi | 2% | 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status