Klamath County, Oregon
A shallow water table limits basements on 21% of Klamath County's mapped land and the 10th highest of 35 Oregon counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20%.
The soil survey maps 31% 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 1 flood losses here since 2016. 62% 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 Klamath County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 21.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 21.4% |
| Mapped soil | 1,195,979 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Lapine | 11% | n/a |
| Lorella | 11% | n/a |
| Steiger | 5% | n/a |
| Castlecrest | 4% | n/a |
| Calimus | 3% | n/a |
| Royst | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OR620 (2025-09-10), OR632 (2025-09-10), OR635 (2025-09-10), OR640 (2025-09-10), OR682 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.5% by land area here, and 21% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 20% of Klamath County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 21% of Klamath County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 20.39 in, 6.38 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 26.77 in.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 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 | 36.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0.7% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 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 | 26.77 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 20.39 in (-6.38) |
| 2025 | 25.81 in (-0.96) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1996: 43.28 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1976: 16.21 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHILOQUIN 12 NW (FORT KLAMATH) (18 mi away) | 1.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 33,162 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 62% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $280,400 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, OR | 56 mi | 31% | 19% |
| Lake County, OR | 64 mi | 28% | 11% |
| Douglas County, OR | 87 mi | 15% | 12% |
| Deschutes County, OR | 88 mi | 9% | 5% |
| Siskiyou County, CA | 88 mi | 11% | 11% |
| Modoc County, CA | 89 mi | 27% | 15% |
| Josephine County, OR | 100 mi | 14% | 4% |
| Lane County, OR | 106 mi | 12% | 14% |
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