Lincoln County, Oregon
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Lincoln County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 6%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 12.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 47 flood losses here since 2016, 3% of them in buildings with basements. 49% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 Lincoln County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.9% |
| Mapped soil | 631,849 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Bohannon | 19% | n/a |
| Preacher | 12% | n/a |
| Slickrock | 9% | n/a |
| Tolovana | 8% | n/a |
| Reedsport | 6% | n/a |
| Fendall | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OR601 (2025-09-09), OR638 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 69.94 in, 21.04 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 90.98 in.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Lincoln County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
12.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 25 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, on the October 21, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 12.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
47 flood losses since 2016, $794,629 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 20. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 3% basements, 47% slabs, 33% crawl spaces, 17% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 20 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 90.98 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 69.94 in (-21.04) |
| 2025 | 75.90 in (-15.08) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1996: 134.28 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1929: 53.81 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ALSEA FH (FALL CREEK) (18 mi away) | 28.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 32,628 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 49% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $410,800 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benton County, OR | 26 mi | 22% | 24% |
| Polk County, OR | 31 mi | 18% | 30% |
| Yamhill County, OR | 51 mi | 31% | 36% |
| Tillamook County, OR | 57 mi | 1% | 5% |
| Marion County, OR | 68 mi | 19% | 40% |
| Linn County, OR | 68 mi | 25% | 34% |
| Lane County, OR | 70 mi | 12% | 14% |
| Washington County, OR | 75 mi | 7% | 42% |
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