Le Sueur County, Minnesota
A shallow water table limits basements on 71% of Le Sueur County's mapped land, a higher share than 82% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 39 flood losses here since 2016, 13% of them in buildings with basements. 58% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.
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 Le Sueur County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 71.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 17.0% |
| Mapped soil | 302,900 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Lester | 17% | n/a |
| Le Sueur | 11% | n/a |
| Cordova | 11% | n/a |
| Hamel | 7% | n/a |
| Kilkenny | 7% | n/a |
| Glencoe | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MN079 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% by land area here, and 17% 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.
On 71% of Le Sueur 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: 25.00 in, 8.24 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 33.24 in.
USDA rates 90% 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. 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 | 39% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
39 flood losses since 2016, $1.7 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 23. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 13% basements, 17% slabs, 70% crawl spaces. Median water depth outside the building: 21.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 6 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 23 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 33.24 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 25.00 in (-8.24) |
| 2025 | 30.61 in (-2.63) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 44.59 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1910: 12.31 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ST PETER (12 mi away) | 7.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 13,054 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $316,500 |
| Single-family detached | 82% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice County, MN | 21 mi | 16% | 62% |
| Scott County, MN | 21 mi | 1% | 57% |
| Nicollet County, MN | 25 mi | 10% | 83% |
| Waseca County, MN | 25 mi | 17% | 88% |
| Sibley County, MN | 28 mi | 12% | 91% |
| Blue Earth County, MN | 29 mi | 40% | 84% |
| Carver County, MN | 31 mi | 4% | 74% |
| Steele County, MN | 35 mi | 6% | 85% |
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