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Sweetwater County, Wyoming

USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 3% of Sweetwater County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on under 1%, 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 1 flood losses here since 2016. 51% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

3%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

<1%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

51%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Sweetwater County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)2.9%
High water table (limits basements)0.3%
Septic fields very limited34.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)2.7%
Mapped soil6,644,085 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Haterton2%n/a
Scooby1%n/a
Kandaly1%n/a
Hangmans1%n/a
Sandbranch1%n/a
McCullen - draft1%n/a
Daggett County: 2%Moffat County: 10%Uinta County: no dataSublette County: 8%Fremont County: 4%Carbon County: 9%Lincoln County: 19%Uintah County: 3%Sweetwater County DaggettMoffatUintaSubletteFremontCarbonLincolnUintahSweetwater
Sweetwater 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 WY638 (2025-09-04), WY737 (2025-09-04)

What the numbers mean here

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 8.36 in, 1.19 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 9.55 in.

With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Sweetwater 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 35 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 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 worse100%
D2 severe or worse33.7%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

1 flood losses since 2016, $7,436 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 1.

YearFlood losses
20160
20171
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-20209.55 in
12 months to August 20268.36 in (-1.19)
20257.32 in (-2.23)
Wettest year since 18951983: 14.70 in
Driest year since 18952012: 5.45 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROCK SPRINGS AP (10 mi away)0

Homes

Housing units19,289
Median year built1980
Built before 198051%
Built 2000 or later22%
Owner-occupied75%
Median value, owner-occupied$251,400
Single-family detached62%

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
Daggett County, UT 62 mi 2% 1%
Moffat County, CO 80 mi 10% 1%
Uinta County, WY 91 mi n/a n/a
Sublette County, WY 93 mi 8% 13%
Fremont County, WY 97 mi 4% 3%
Carbon County, WY 101 mi 9% 5%
Lincoln County, WY 101 mi 19% 5%
Uintah County, UT 111 mi 3% 3%

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