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Pennington County, Minnesota

A shallow water table limits basements on 98% of Pennington County's mapped land, a higher share than 100% of US counties and the 2nd highest of 87 Minnesota counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 5%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 61% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

5%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

98%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

61%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Pennington County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)5.3%
High water table (limits basements)98.1%
Septic fields very limited98.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)3.4%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)9.6%
Mapped soil395,400 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Smiley20%n/a
Kratka14%n/a
Reiner9%n/a
Roliss4%n/a
Strathcona4%n/a
Hamre4%n/a
Red Lake County: 98%Marshall County: 98%Polk County: 85%Clearwater County: 60%Roseau County: 98%Beltrami County: 63%Mahnomen County: 69%Norman County: 93%Pennington County Red LakeMarshallPolkClearwaterRoseauBeltramiMahnomenNormanPennington
Pennington County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas MN113 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

On 98% of Pennington 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: 15.60 in, 6.89 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 22.49 in.

USDA rates 99% 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 14 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, on the July 28, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

2 flood losses since 2016, $2,567 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20192
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202022.49 in
12 months to August 202615.60 in (-6.89)
202517.47 in (-5.02)
Wettest year since 18951905: 29.68 in
Driest year since 18951917: 10.84 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at RED LAKE FALLS (17 mi away)4.8

Homes

Housing units6,799
Median year built1974
Built before 198061%
Built 2000 or later21%
Owner-occupied72%
Median value, owner-occupied$195,500
Single-family detached66%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Red Lake County, MN 14 mi 11% 98%
Marshall County, MN 25 mi 21% 98%
Polk County, MN 26 mi 10% 85%
Clearwater County, MN 46 mi 9% 60%
Roseau County, MN 49 mi 9% 98%
Beltrami County, MN 51 mi 2% 63%
Mahnomen County, MN 52 mi 13% 69%
Norman County, MN 55 mi 27% 93%

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