Box Elder County, Utah
A shallow water table limits basements on 23% of Box Elder County's mapped land and the 2nd highest of 28 Utah counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 2%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Box Elder County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 23.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 64.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.8% |
| Mapped soil | 4,297,932 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Skumpah | 6% | n/a |
| Saltair | 3% | n/a |
| Thiokol | 2% | n/a |
| Middle | 2% | n/a |
| Tosser | 2% | n/a |
| Cliffdown | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas UT601 (2025-08-26), UT602 (2025-08-26), UT603 (2025-08-26), UT611 (2025-08-26)
What the numbers mean here
On 23% of Box Elder 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: 10.52 in, 1.87 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 12.39 in.
USDA rates 65% 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 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 29 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 19.5% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 12.39 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.52 in (-1.87) |
| 2025 | 10.07 in (-2.32) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 21.36 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1966: 7.03 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROSETTE (23 mi away) | 0.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 20,760 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $403,600 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oneida County, ID | 48 mi | 5% | 4% |
| Cassia County, ID | 54 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Davis County, UT | 60 mi | 4% | 16% |
| Weber County, UT | 66 mi | 7% | 20% |
| Cache County, UT | 68 mi | 22% | 18% |
| Franklin County, ID | 74 mi | 21% | 8% |
| Power County, ID | 75 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Tooele County, UT | 80 mi | 0% | 36% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 26, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status