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Spokane County, Washington

A shallow water table limits basements on 16% of Spokane County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 14 flood losses here since 2016. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

3%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

16%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

53%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Spokane County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)3.0%
High water table (limits basements)16.2%
Septic fields very limited89.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)3.6%
Urban land, not rated3.5%
Mapped soil1,139,469 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Naff6%n/a
Rockly6%n/a
Cheney3%n/a
Northstar3%n/a
Marble2%n/a
Cocolalla2%n/a
Kootenai County: 10%Benewah County: 40%Lincoln County: 4%Whitman County: 15%Stevens County: 8%Bonner County: 14%Latah County: 43%Pend Oreille County: 11%Spokane County KootenaiBenewahLincolnWhitmanStevensBonnerLatahPend OreilleSpokane
Spokane County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas WA063 (2025-08-28)

What the numbers mean here

On 16% of Spokane 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: 17.57 in, 2.85 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 20.42 in.

USDA rates 89% 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 20 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse100%
D2 severe or worse100%
D3 extreme or worse46%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

14 flood losses since 2016, $1.2 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 6.

YearFlood losses
20162
20176
20181
20190
20200
20210
20223
20230
20240
20252
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202020.42 in
12 months to August 202617.57 in (-2.85)
202518.45 in (-1.97)
Wettest year since 18951948: 30.48 in
Driest year since 18951929: 10.57 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SPOKANE INTL AP (6 mi away)0.4

Homes

Housing units231,205
Median year built1978
Built before 198053%
Built 2000 or later26%
Owner-occupied65%
Median value, owner-occupied$410,700
Single-family detached65%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Kootenai County, ID 35 mi 2% 10%
Benewah County, ID 45 mi 1% 40%
Lincoln County, WA 47 mi 1% 4%
Whitman County, WA 50 mi 1% 15%
Stevens County, WA 57 mi 0% 8%
Bonner County, ID 60 mi under 1% 14%
Latah County, ID 64 mi 5% 43%
Pend Oreille County, WA 64 mi 0% 11%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status