St. Joseph County, Michigan
A shallow water table limits basements on 28% of St. Joseph County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 28 flood losses here since 2016. 66% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1970.
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) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 28.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.3% |
| Mapped soil | 331,527 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Oshtemo | 29% | 0% |
| Spinks | 17% | n/a |
| Hillsdale | 11% | n/a |
| Brady | 4% | n/a |
| Houghton | 4% | n/a |
| Elston | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MI149 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
On 28% 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: 40.21 in, 2.41 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 37.80 in.
USDA rates 93% 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 10 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 71.7% 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
28 flood losses since 2016, $1.0 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 24. Median water depth outside the building: 19 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 24 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 37.80 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.21 in (+2.41) |
| 2025 | 35.24 in (-2.56) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 47.34 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 20.85 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at THREE RIVERS (6 mi away) | 8.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 27,302 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 66% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $178,300 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaGrange County, IN | 19 mi | 3% | 39% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 23 mi | under 1% | 23% |
| Branch County, MI | 23 mi | under 1% | 61% |
| Cass County, MI | 25 mi | 0% | 26% |
| Elkhart County, IN | 28 mi | 1% | 54% |
| Steuben County, IN | 33 mi | 5% | 59% |
| Calhoun County, MI | 35 mi | under 1% | 34% |
| Noble County, IN | 35 mi | 9% | 72% |
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