Coos County, Oregon
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 8% of Coos County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 13%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 59% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 18 flood losses here since 2016. 64% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.
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 Coos County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 12.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 96.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.9% |
| Mapped soil | 1,042,432 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Preacher | 18% | n/a |
| Bohannon | 13% | n/a |
| Umpcoos | 7% | n/a |
| Templeton | 7% | n/a |
| Digger | 6% | n/a |
| Milbury | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OR011 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.56 in, 20.53 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 67.09 in.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 8% and a shallow water table on 13% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Coos County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
59% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 22 weeks, most recently on the September 15, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 59% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
18 flood losses since 2016, $923,441 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 7.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 67.09 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.56 in (-20.53) |
| 2025 | 57.13 in (-9.96) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1996: 108.37 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2013: 38.54 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COQUILLE CITY (5 mi away) | 11.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 31,905 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 64% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $337,800 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, OR | 48 mi | 15% | 12% |
| Curry County, OR | 50 mi | 14% | 6% |
| Josephine County, OR | 61 mi | 14% | 4% |
| Lane County, OR | 79 mi | 12% | 14% |
| Jackson County, OR | 90 mi | 31% | 19% |
| Benton County, OR | 98 mi | 22% | 24% |
| Del Norte County, CA | 100 mi | n/a | n/a |
| Lincoln County, OR | 101 mi | 1% | 6% |
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