Laramie County, Wyoming
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 1% of Laramie County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 2%, 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 15 flood losses here since 2016. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Laramie County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 46.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.1% |
| Mapped soil | 1,718,381 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Altvan | 11% | n/a |
| Evanston | 10% | n/a |
| Ascalon | 6% | n/a |
| Albinas | 6% | n/a |
| Vetal | 5% | n/a |
| Treon | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas WY621 (2025-09-04), WY721 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 12.15 in, 3.81 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 15.96 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Laramie 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 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 41 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 | 92.4% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 47.8% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
15 flood losses since 2016, $113,245 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 6.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 15.96 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 12.15 in (-3.81) |
| 2025 | 15.83 in (-0.13) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1915: 23.10 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1939: 9.08 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHEYENNE (12 mi away) | 1.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 45,659 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $348,700 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kimball County, NE | 50 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Banner County, NE | 51 mi | under 1% | 2% |
| Weld County, CO | 53 mi | 7% | 2% |
| Goshen County, WY | 57 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Platte County, WY | 60 mi | under 1% | 2% |
| Albany County, WY | 61 mi | 5% | 7% |
| Larimer County, CO | 62 mi | 6% | 4% |
| Scotts Bluff County, NE | 63 mi | 2% | 11% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status