Norman County, Minnesota
A shallow water table limits basements on 93% of Norman County's mapped land, a higher share than 98% of US counties and the 8th highest of 87 Minnesota counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27%.
99.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 77% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1959.
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 Norman County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 27.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 93.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 96.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 31.3% |
| Mapped soil | 561,500 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Fargo | 15% | n/a |
| Bearden | 11% | n/a |
| Hegne | 6% | n/a |
| Glyndon | 4% | n/a |
| Arveson | 4% | n/a |
| Ulen | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MN107 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.2% by land area here, and 31% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 99.8% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 27% of Norman County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 93% of Norman 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: 15.73 in, 8.24 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 23.97 in.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
99.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 14 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 10 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 99.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 41.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $803 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 23.97 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 15.73 in (-8.24) |
| 2025 | 21.18 in (-2.79) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 31.52 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 10.57 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GEORGETOWN 1 E (23 mi away) | 5.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,223 |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Built before 1980 | 77% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $147,100 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, MN | 30 mi | 17% | 84% |
| Mahnomen County, MN | 31 mi | 13% | 69% |
| Polk County, MN | 31 mi | 10% | 85% |
| Traill County, ND | 34 mi | 36% | 94% |
| Red Lake County, MN | 41 mi | 11% | 98% |
| Becker County, MN | 43 mi | 4% | 44% |
| Cass County, ND | 46 mi | 44% | 88% |
| Clearwater County, MN | 54 mi | 9% | 60% |
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