Hennepin County, Minnesota
A shallow water table limits basements on 43% of Hennepin County's mapped land, a higher share than 60% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3%.
84.3% of the county is in drought on the November 3, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 55 flood losses here since 2016, 52% of them in buildings with basements. 60% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, November 3, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Hennepin County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 42.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 68.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.2% |
| Urban land, not rated | 16.6% |
| Mapped soil | 389,000 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Lester | 13% | n/a |
| Angus | 7% | n/a |
| Hamel | 5% | n/a |
| Cordova | 4% | n/a |
| Malardi | 3% | n/a |
| Hubbard | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MN053 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
On 43% of Hennepin 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: 22.30 in, 9.56 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 31.86 in.
USDA rates 68% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
84.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 15 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 weeks, most recently on the October 27, 2026 map.
| Category, November 3, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 84.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
55 flood losses since 2016, $398,943 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 32. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 52% basements, 8% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 36% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 32 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.86 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 22.30 in (-9.56) |
| 2025 | 32.00 in (+0.14) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1991: 41.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1910: 12.54 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEW HOPE (5 mi away) | 7.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 571,527 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $392,900 |
| Single-family detached | 52% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsey County, MN | 18 mi | 0% | 14% |
| Carver County, MN | 20 mi | 4% | 74% |
| Anoka County, MN | 22 mi | under 1% | 47% |
| Scott County, MN | 25 mi | 1% | 57% |
| Wright County, MN | 27 mi | 1% | 58% |
| Washington County, MN | 29 mi | under 1% | 23% |
| Dakota County, MN | 31 mi | 2% | 23% |
| Sherburne County, MN | 34 mi | 0% | 37% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 10, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status