St. Joseph County, Indiana
A shallow water table limits basements on 52% of St. Joseph County's mapped land, a higher share than 68% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 54 flood losses here since 2016, 45% of them in buildings with basements. 64% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1968.
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 St. Joseph County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 52.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.4% |
| Urban land, not rated | 9.8% |
| Mapped soil | 295,424 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Crosier | 10% | n/a |
| Oshtemo | 8% | 0% |
| Brookston | 7% | n/a |
| Tyner | 6% | n/a |
| Rensselaer | 5% | n/a |
| Tracy | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas IN141 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
On 52% of St. Joseph County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 45.22 in, 5.34 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 39.88 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 1 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 14% of its area, on the October 14, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
54 flood losses since 2016, $874,786 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 28. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 45% basements, 36% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 14% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 23 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 28 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 39.88 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 45.22 in (+5.34) |
| 2025 | 36.54 in (-3.34) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1990: 54.30 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 26.50 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LAKEVILLE (6 mi away) | 9.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 118,580 |
| Median year built | 1968 |
| Built before 1980 | 64% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 69% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $192,800 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall County, IN | 20 mi | 1% | 58% |
| Elkhart County, IN | 22 mi | 1% | 54% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 24 mi | under 1% | 52% |
| Cass County, MI | 25 mi | 0% | 26% |
| Berrien County, MI | 26 mi | 0% | 51% |
| Starke County, IN | 30 mi | 0% | 84% |
| Kosciusko County, IN | 34 mi | 5% | 52% |
| Fulton County, IN | 39 mi | under 1% | 64% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 3, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status