Carbon County, Utah
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Carbon County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 1%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses here since 2016. 69% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1972.
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 Carbon County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | under 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 62.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.2% |
| Mapped soil | 886,984 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Podo | 5% | n/a |
| Strych | 5% | n/a |
| Beje | 4% | n/a |
| Senchert | 4% | n/a |
| Gerst | 4% | n/a |
| Travessilla | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas UT616 (2025-08-27), UT623 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 12.43 in, 2.18 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 14.61 in.
USDA rates 63% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Carbon County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 52 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 | 81.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
5 flood losses since 2016, $302,428 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 14.61 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 12.43 in (-2.18) |
| 2025 | 10.32 in (-4.29) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1965: 26.56 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2020: 7.57 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WELLINGTON 3 E (10 mi away) | 0.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,669 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 69% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $228,500 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duchesne County, UT | 43 mi | 1% | 3% |
| Emery County, UT | 46 mi | 3% | 3% |
| Wasatch County, UT | 55 mi | 11% | 5% |
| Sanpete County, UT | 57 mi | 16% | 9% |
| Uintah County, UT | 65 mi | 3% | 3% |
| Utah County, UT | 65 mi | 7% | 10% |
| Grand County, UT | 73 mi | 4% | under 1% |
| Summit County, UT | 85 mi | 9% | 6% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status