Crawford County, Michigan
A shallow water table limits basements on 19% of Crawford County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
None 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
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Crawford County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 19.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 0.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.2% |
| Mapped soil | 360,602 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Grayling | 27% | n/a |
| Graycalm | 25% | n/a |
| Rubicon | 9% | n/a |
| Croswell | 5% | n/a |
| Kalkaska | 5% | n/a |
| Klacking | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MI039 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
On 19% of Crawford 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: 39.04 in, 6.14 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 32.90 in.
USDA rates 98% 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 12 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 96.6% of its area, in 9 weeks, most recently on the January 6, 2026 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
1 flood losses since 2016, $121,604 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 32.90 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 39.04 in (+6.14) |
| 2025 | 30.58 in (-2.32) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 40.00 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1958: 22.49 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GRAYLING (5 mi away) | 5.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,330 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $163,000 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roscommon County, MI | 23 mi | 1% | 49% |
| Kalkaska County, MI | 23 mi | 1% | 28% |
| Otsego County, MI | 24 mi | under 1% | 21% |
| Oscoda County, MI | 24 mi | 4% | 21% |
| Montmorency County, MI | 34 mi | 2% | 36% |
| Ogemaw County, MI | 34 mi | 10% | 39% |
| Missaukee County, MI | 34 mi | 3% | 40% |
| Antrim County, MI | 35 mi | under 1% | 16% |
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