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Koochiching County, Minnesota
A shallow water table limits basements on 90% of Koochiching County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16%.
93.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 9 flood losses here since 2016. 65% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1972.
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 Koochiching County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 89.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.8% |
| Mapped soil | 2,218,486 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Greenwood | 16% | n/a |
| Effie | 7% | n/a |
| Tacoosh | 6% | n/a |
| Cathro | 5% | n/a |
| Rifle | 5% | n/a |
| Ashlake | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MN625 (2025-09-10), MN627 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 23% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 16% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 93.9% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 16% of Koochiching County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 90% of Koochiching 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: 20.41 in, 6.46 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 26.87 in.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
93.9% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 47 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 93.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
9 flood losses since 2016, $278,221 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 9.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 26.87 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 20.41 in (-6.46) |
| 2025 | 22.31 in (-4.56) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1905: 36.31 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 16.10 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at INTL FALLS INTL AP (28 mi away) | 3.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,426 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $156,600 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itasca County, MN | 53 mi | 8% | 54% |
| Beltrami County, MN | 61 mi | 2% | 63% |
| Lake of the Woods County, MN | 63 mi | 5% | 67% |
| St. Louis County, MN | 75 mi | 10% | 70% |
| Clearwater County, MN | 87 mi | 9% | 60% |
| Cass County, MN | 93 mi | 1% | 44% |
| Hubbard County, MN | 95 mi | 0% | 26% |
| Roseau County, MN | 100 mi | 9% | 98% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 10, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status