Churchill County, Nevada
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 11% of Churchill County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 89% 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 3 flood losses here since 2016. 33% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.
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 Churchill County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 14.6% |
| Mapped soil | 2,812,579 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Isolde | 5% | n/a |
| Trocken | 5% | n/a |
| Old camp | 5% | n/a |
| Hawsley | 4% | n/a |
| Bluewing | 4% | n/a |
| Theon | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NV602 (2025-08-28), NV603 (2025-08-28), NV770 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 6.54 in, 0.14 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 6.40 in.
USDA rates 82% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 11% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Churchill 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 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 9 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 | 11.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $14,820 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 6.40 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 6.54 in (+0.14) |
| 2025 | 5.62 in (-0.78) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1998: 13.03 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2020: 2.69 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FALLON NAAS (26 mi away) | 0.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,008 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 33% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $329,900 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon County, NV | 62 mi | 11% | 8% |
| Pershing County, NV | 63 mi | 11% | 4% |
| Storey County, NV | 68 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Lander County, NV | 69 mi | 11% | 6% |
| Mineral County, NV | 71 mi | 5% | 2% |
| Carson City, NV | 84 mi | 11% | 5% |
| Douglas County, NV | 84 mi | 20% | 9% |
| Alpine County, CA | 107 mi | 2% | 7% |
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