Uintah County, Utah
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Uintah County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 3%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 81% 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. 35% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1992.
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 Uintah County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 67.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 9.0% |
| Mapped soil | 2,317,123 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Walknolls | 9% | n/a |
| Cadrina | 4% | n/a |
| Motto | 3% | n/a |
| Gompers | 3% | n/a |
| Gilston | 2% | n/a |
| Clapper | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas CO692 (2025-08-29), UT047 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.60 in, 1.42 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 12.02 in.
USDA rates 67% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 3% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Uintah 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 | 31.6% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0.2% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 12.02 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.60 in (-1.42) |
| 2025 | 8.68 in (-3.34) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 19.19 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1958: 6.56 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OURAY 4NE (7 mi away) | 0.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 13,838 |
| Median year built | 1992 |
| Built before 1980 | 35% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $298,600 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
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 | 49 mi | 1% | 3% |
| Daggett County, UT | 53 mi | 2% | 1% |
| Carbon County, UT | 65 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Rio Blanco County, CO | 70 mi | 8% | 1% |
| Moffat County, CO | 76 mi | 10% | 1% |
| Grand County, UT | 80 mi | 4% | under 1% |
| Wasatch County, UT | 88 mi | 11% | 5% |
| Summit County, UT | 92 mi | 9% | 6% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status