Area in drought
The share of the area in moderate drought or worse, averaged over the year's weekly Drought Monitor maps. A county half in drought all year and a county fully in drought for half the year both score 50%. Experts draw the maps each week from rain, soil, stream and crop data, so they are a judgment, not a direct measurement.
Reported for3,144areas, in 51 states — none in PR
Link to density0.32not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.89Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typerate% of area
How it has moved
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Every state, every year
One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.
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Where it comes from
US Drought Monitor · USDM data services GetDroughtSeverityStatisticsByAreaPercent, statisticsType=1, D1
National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), USDA, NOAA and NASA · 2000-2025, from weekly maps · None published; experts draw the weekly maps from many kinds of data
The share of the area in moderate drought or worse, averaged over the year's weekly maps. A share of area, so combined areas are weighted by their size.
Combining areas: an average weighted by USDM.LAND_SQKM.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 1 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Area in drought and Summer daily highWhere Area in drought is higher, Summer daily high tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Summer daily high by US county | +0.33 | +0.42 |
| Area in drought and Yearly precipitationWhere Area in drought is higher, Yearly precipitation tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Yearly precipitation by US county | -0.48 | -0.41 |
| Area in drought and Current asthmaWhere Area in drought is higher, Current asthma tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Current asthma by US county | -0.34 | -0.37 |
| Area in drought and LonelinessWhere Area in drought is higher, Loneliness tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Loneliness by US county | -0.37 | -0.33 |
| Area in drought and Adult income rank of children raised poor hereWhere Area in drought is higher, Adult income rank of children raised poor here tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Adult income rank of children raised poor here by US county | +0.41 | +0.32 |
| Area in drought and Frequent mental distressWhere Area in drought is higher, Frequent mental distress tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Frequent mental distress by US county | -0.22 | -0.30 |
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
| Share of residents | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Area in drought and Share White, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | +0.02 | -0.04 |
| Area in drought and Share Black, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | -0.18 | -0.13 |
| Area in drought and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceWhere Area in drought is higher, Share Hispanic or Latino, any race tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | +0.23 | +0.23 |
| Area in drought and Share Asian, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Asian, not Hispanic by US county | -0.10 | -0.02 |
| Area in drought and Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic by US county | -0.03 | -0.12 |
Highest and lowest
Of 3,144 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- Real County, TX — 100
- Medina County, TX — 100
- Llano County, TX — 100
- Kendall County, TX — 100
- Gillespie County, TX — 100
Lowest
The middle area reports 23.8. The middle half of counties falls between 11.3 and 44.6 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
US Counties With the Highest Area in Drought · US Counties With the Lowest Area in Drought
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works