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Gogebic County, Michigan

A shallow water table limits basements on 84% of Gogebic County's mapped land, a higher share than 92% of US counties and the 8th highest of 83 Michigan counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 79% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1955.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

84%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

79%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Gogebic County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.7%
High water table (limits basements)84.2%
Septic fields very limited93.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)1.0%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.7%
Mapped soil732,256 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Gogebic35%n/a
Tula8%n/a
Gay5%n/a
Cathro5%n/a
Lupton3%n/a
Karlin3%n/a
Iron County: 75%Vilas County: 36%Ontonagon County: 78%Ashland County: 76%Oneida County: 47%Price County: 79%Iron County: 57%Houghton County: 66%Gogebic County IronVilasOntonagonAshlandOneidaPriceIronHoughtonGogebic
Gogebic County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas MI053 (2025-09-03)

What the numbers mean here

On 84% of Gogebic 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: 31.80 in, 3.26 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.06 in.

USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

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 14 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 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 worse100%
D3 extreme or worse93.6%
D4 exceptional6.3%

Flood losses since 2016

3 flood losses since 2016, $15,142 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 2.

YearFlood losses
20162
20170
20180
20190
20200
20210
20221
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202035.06 in
12 months to August 202631.80 in (-3.26)
202536.16 in (+1.10)
Wettest year since 18952013: 44.45 in
Driest year since 18951910: 19.82 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BERGLAND DAM (13 mi away)6.2

Homes

Housing units10,394
Median year built1955
Built before 198079%
Built 2000 or later8%
Owner-occupied81%
Median value, owner-occupied$107,200
Single-family detached88%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Iron County, WI 25 mi 1% 75%
Vilas County, WI 33 mi 0% 36%
Ontonagon County, MI 34 mi 22% 78%
Ashland County, WI 43 mi 18% 76%
Oneida County, WI 55 mi 0% 47%
Price County, WI 62 mi 0% 79%
Iron County, MI 63 mi 0% 57%
Houghton County, MI 64 mi 2% 66%

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