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Stevens County, Washington
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Stevens County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 8%, 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 4 flood losses here since 2016. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.
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 Stevens County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.7% |
| Mapped soil | 1,639,788 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Aits | 12% | n/a |
| Newbell | 8% | n/a |
| Donavan | 7% | n/a |
| Huckle | 4% | n/a |
| Stevens | 4% | n/a |
| Bernhill | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas WA065 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 19.37 in, 4.36 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 23.73 in.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 8% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Stevens 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 20 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 | 16.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4 flood losses since 2016, $6,933 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 23.73 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 19.37 in (-4.36) |
| 2025 | 20.43 in (-3.30) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1897: 34.69 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1929: 11.60 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COLVILLE (13 mi away) | 1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 22,782 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 43% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $350,600 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pend Oreille County, WA | 30 mi | 0% | 11% |
| Ferry County, WA | 32 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Bonner County, ID | 56 mi | under 1% | 14% |
| Spokane County, WA | 57 mi | 3% | 16% |
| Lincoln County, WA | 61 mi | 1% | 4% |
| Boundary County, ID | 63 mi | under 1% | 24% |
| Kootenai County, ID | 73 mi | 2% | 10% |
| Okanogan County, WA | 87 mi | 0% | 3% |
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