Rice County, Minnesota
A shallow water table limits basements on 62% of Rice County's mapped land, a higher share than 75% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16%.
24.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 28 flood losses here since 2016. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Rice County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 61.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 14.7% |
| Mapped soil | 330,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Lester | 8% | n/a |
| Hayden | 5% | n/a |
| Kilkenny | 5% | n/a |
| Angus | 4% | n/a |
| Hamel | 4% | n/a |
| Le Sueur | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MN131 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and 15% 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: 24.4% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 16% of Rice County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 62% of Rice 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: 25.70 in, 9.29 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 34.99 in.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
24.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 12 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 46.3% of its area, in 4 weeks, most recently on the September 15, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 96.8% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 24.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
28 flood losses since 2016, $864,619 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 14.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 14 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 34.99 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 25.70 in (-9.29) |
| 2025 | 34.04 in (-0.95) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 48.63 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1910: 11.60 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FARIBAULT (3 mi away) | 8.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 25,295 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $320,200 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Sueur County, MN | 21 mi | 16% | 71% |
| Steele County, MN | 23 mi | 6% | 85% |
| Scott County, MN | 24 mi | 1% | 57% |
| Dakota County, MN | 25 mi | 2% | 23% |
| Waseca County, MN | 27 mi | 17% | 88% |
| Goodhue County, MN | 29 mi | 1% | 48% |
| Dodge County, MN | 31 mi | 1% | 90% |
| Carver County, MN | 41 mi | 4% | 74% |
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