Sublette County, Wyoming
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 8% of Sublette County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 13%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. The soil survey maps 62% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part.
41.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 39% 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 Sublette County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 13.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 72.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 9.5% |
| Mapped soil | 1,934,625 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Jemdilon | 4% | n/a |
| Foreright | 3% | n/a |
| Jonah | 3% | n/a |
| Golphco | 2% | n/a |
| Sandbranch taxadjunct | 2% | n/a |
| Lauzer | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas WY635 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.55 in, 0.41 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 17.96 in.
USDA rates 72% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 8% and a shallow water table on 13% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Sublette County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
41.9% 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 31 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 | 41.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 12.4% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Sublette County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 17.96 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.55 in (-0.41) |
| 2025 | 18.83 in (+0.87) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1936: 26.56 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1910: 10.61 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PINEDALE (8 mi away) | 0.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,280 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 39% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $376,200 |
| Single-family detached | 82% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, WY | 54 mi | 19% | 5% |
| Fremont County, WY | 69 mi | 4% | 3% |
| Bear Lake County, ID | 79 mi | 6% | 16% |
| Caribou County, ID | 83 mi | 13% | 4% |
| Teton County, WY | 92 mi | 7% | 6% |
| Sweetwater County, WY | 93 mi | 3% | under 1% |
| Teton County, ID | 95 mi | 5% | 12% |
| Bonneville County, ID | 96 mi | 11% | 4% |
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