Wasatch County, Utah
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 11% of Wasatch County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 5%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 38% 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 5 flood losses here since 2016. 18% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2005.
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 Wasatch County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 18.3% |
| Mapped soil | 282,863 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Broadhead | 9% | n/a |
| Roundy | 8% | n/a |
| Henefer | 7% | n/a |
| Little Pole | 6% | n/a |
| Flygare | 5% | n/a |
| Daybell | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas UT613 (2025-08-27), UT622 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 21.72 in, 2.69 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 24.41 in.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 11% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Wasatch 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 | 97% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
5 flood losses since 2016, $13,158 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 24.41 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 21.72 in (-2.69) |
| 2025 | 19.53 in (-4.88) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1909: 42.71 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1976: 13.97 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DEER CREEK DAM (20 mi away) | 2.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 16,228 |
| Median year built | 2005 |
| Built before 1980 | 18% |
| Built 2000 or later | 62% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $787,300 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah County, UT | 31 mi | 7% | 10% |
| Summit County, UT | 38 mi | 9% | 6% |
| Duchesne County, UT | 39 mi | 1% | 3% |
| Salt Lake County, UT | 46 mi | 13% | 17% |
| Carbon County, UT | 55 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Morgan County, UT | 57 mi | 15% | 2% |
| Sanpete County, UT | 70 mi | 16% | 9% |
| Uinta County, WY | 73 mi | n/a | n/a |
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