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Yakima County, Washington

USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 2% of Yakima County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 8%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 74% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.

16.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 54 flood losses here since 2016, 13% of them in buildings with basements. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1977.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

2%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

8%

high water table: limits basements

17%

in drought, October 13, 2026

56%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Yakima County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)2.0%
High water table (limits basements)8.1%
Septic fields very limited72.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)2.1%
Mapped soil2,030,557 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Warden6%n/a
Ritzville4%n/a
Singh3%n/a
Jumpe3%n/a
Rock Creek2%n/a
Adamslake2%n/a
Klickitat County: 2%Kittitas County: 5%Benton County: 0%Skamania County: 4%Sherman County: 0%Gilliam County: 3%Lewis County: 7%Pierce County: 2%Yakima County KlickitatKittitasBentonSkamaniaShermanGilliamLewisPierceYakima
Yakima County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas WA676 (2025-09-02), WA677 (2025-08-28), WA678 (2025-08-28), WA680 (2025-08-28), WA681 (2025-08-28), WA754 (2025-08-28)

What the numbers mean here

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 26.77 in, 0.38 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 26.39 in.

USDA rates 73% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on 8% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Yakima County; conditions still vary lot by lot.

Drought

16.5% 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 8 weeks, most recently on the December 9, 2025 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 worse16.5%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

54 flood losses since 2016, $1.0 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 27. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 13% basements, 17% slabs, 61% crawl spaces, 9% elevated.

YearFlood losses
201627
201720
20180
20191
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20256
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202026.39 in
12 months to August 202626.77 in (+0.38)
202526.47 in (+0.08)
Wettest year since 18951996: 38.55 in
Driest year since 18951898: 14.55 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at YAKIMA AIR TERMINAL (12 mi away)0.2

Homes

Housing units92,432
Median year built1977
Built before 198056%
Built 2000 or later21%
Owner-occupied62%
Median value, owner-occupied$310,100
Single-family detached66%

What repairs cost

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

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Klickitat County, WA 40 mi 2% 5%
Kittitas County, WA 46 mi 5% 14%
Benton County, WA 60 mi 0% 1%
Skamania County, WA 65 mi 4% 5%
Sherman County, OR 73 mi 0% 1%
Gilliam County, OR 77 mi 3% under 1%
Lewis County, WA 78 mi 7% 20%
Pierce County, WA 79 mi 2% 34%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status