Hood River County, Oregon
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Hood River County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 5%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 36% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
54.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Hood River County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.0% |
| Mapped soil | 121,452 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Yallani | 11% | n/a |
| Bins | 10% | n/a |
| Oak Grove | 10% | n/a |
| Parkdale | 8% | n/a |
| Bald | 7% | n/a |
| Bindle | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OR629 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 56.17 in, 2.92 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 59.09 in.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hood River County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
54.9% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 20 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 weeks, most recently on the December 2, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 54.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Hood River County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 59.09 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 56.17 in (-2.92) |
| 2025 | 55.49 in (-3.60) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1996: 91.50 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1944: 35.85 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HOOD RVR EXP STN (14 mi away) | 4.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,290 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $660,000 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wasco County, OR | 34 mi | 15% | 2% |
| Clackamas County, OR | 36 mi | 5% | 30% |
| Multnomah County, OR | 37 mi | 0% | 30% |
| Skamania County, WA | 38 mi | 4% | 5% |
| Clark County, WA | 44 mi | 3% | 22% |
| Sherman County, OR | 48 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Klickitat County, WA | 49 mi | 2% | 5% |
| Marion County, OR | 62 mi | 19% | 40% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 10, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status