Lincoln County, Wyoming
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19% of Lincoln County's mapped land, a higher share than 69% of US counties and the 5th highest of 22 Wyoming counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 5%.
The soil survey maps 47% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. 91.9% 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. 37% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
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 Lincoln County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 19.3% |
| Mapped soil | 1,214,161 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Mantlemine | 3% | n/a |
| Langspring | 3% | n/a |
| Sandbranch taxadjunct | 3% | n/a |
| Quakenasp | 2% | n/a |
| Jemdilon | 2% | n/a |
| Scooby | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas ID713 (2025-08-27), ID758 (2025-08-27), WY723 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% by land area here, and 19% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 91.9% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 19% of Lincoln County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 19.57 in, 0.57 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 20.14 in.
USDA rates 82% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
91.9% 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 35 weeks, most recently on the September 15, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 91.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 21.4% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4 flood losses since 2016, $29,368 paid. The worst year was 2023, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 20.14 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 19.57 in (-0.57) |
| 2025 | 20.10 in (-0.04) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1983: 30.36 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1939: 10.35 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FOSSIL BUTTE (28 mi away) | 0.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,964 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 37% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $372,600 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Lake County, ID | 33 mi | 6% | 16% |
| Rich County, UT | 51 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Sublette County, WY | 54 mi | 8% | 13% |
| Caribou County, ID | 58 mi | 13% | 4% |
| Franklin County, ID | 58 mi | 21% | 8% |
| Cache County, UT | 64 mi | 22% | 18% |
| Uinta County, WY | 66 mi | n/a | n/a |
| Bannock County, ID | 85 mi | n/a | n/a |
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