Lyon County, Nevada
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 11% of Lyon County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 8%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 36.3% 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. 22% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1998.
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 Lyon County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 12.5% |
| Mapped soil | 1,252,284 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Theon | 9% | n/a |
| Cleaver | 5% | n/a |
| Malpais | 4% | n/a |
| Patna | 3% | n/a |
| Lapon | 3% | n/a |
| Dithod | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NV603 (2025-08-28), NV625 (2025-08-29), NV770 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 7.10 in, 0.86 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 7.96 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 8% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Lyon County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
36.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 9 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 36.3% 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 | 36.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
9 flood losses since 2016, $403,281 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 5.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 7.96 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 7.10 in (-0.86) |
| 2025 | 8.27 in (+0.31) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 14.90 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1947: 2.98 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at YERINGTON (2 mi away) | 0.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 25,436 |
| Median year built | 1998 |
| Built before 1980 | 22% |
| Built 2000 or later | 46% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $366,100 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 | 23 mi | 20% | 9% |
| Carson City, NV | 31 mi | 11% | 5% |
| Storey County, NV | 34 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Alpine County, CA | 45 mi | 2% | 7% |
| Mineral County, NV | 54 mi | 5% | 2% |
| Churchill County, NV | 62 mi | 11% | 11% |
| El Dorado County, CA | 74 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Mono County, CA | 78 mi | 3% | 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