Leelanau County, Michigan
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on under 1% of Leelanau County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 12%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 10 flood losses here since 2016. 38% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
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 Leelanau County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 12.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.2% |
| Mapped soil | 234,489 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Leelanau | 14% | n/a |
| East Lake | 13% | n/a |
| Kaleva | 13% | n/a |
| Emmet | 10% | n/a |
| Mancelona | 6% | n/a |
| Deer Park | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MI089 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 37.50 in, 4.81 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 32.69 in.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 12% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Leelanau County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. No part of the county was in drought in the last 52 weeks.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 20.5% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
10 flood losses since 2016, $104,069 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 32.69 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 37.50 in (+4.81) |
| 2025 | 34.57 in (+1.88) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 40.94 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 21.53 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NORTHPORT 2W (20 mi away) | 5.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 15,759 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 38% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 92% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $458,400 |
| Single-family detached | 86% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benzie County, MI | 36 mi | 0% | 20% |
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 38 mi | under 1% | 18% |
| Charlevoix County, MI | 41 mi | under 1% | 25% |
| Antrim County, MI | 44 mi | under 1% | 16% |
| Door County, WI | 49 mi | 9% | 35% |
| Kalkaska County, MI | 57 mi | 1% | 28% |
| Schoolcraft County, MI | 59 mi | under 1% | 69% |
| Emmet County, MI | 60 mi | under 1% | 23% |
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