HomeNorth DakotaBarnes County

Barnes County, North Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 63% of Barnes County's mapped land, a higher share than 76% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18%.

100% 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. 69% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1966.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

18%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

63%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

69%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Barnes County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)17.9%
High water table (limits basements)62.7%
Septic fields very limited60.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)18.7%
Mapped soil968,700 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Barnes15%20%
Hamerly12%n/a
Svea9%n/a
Buse8%n/a
Tonka7%n/a
Balaton6%n/a
Griggs County: 65%Cass County: 88%Steele County: 67%LaMoure County: 53%Ransom County: 62%Stutsman County: 40%Foster County: 70%Traill County: 94%Barnes County GriggsCassSteeleLaMoureRansomStutsmanFosterTraillBarnes
Barnes 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 ND003 (2026-05-04)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% by land area here, and 19% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 18% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Barnes County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

On 63% of Barnes 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: 15.45 in, 6.24 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.69 in.

USDA rates 61% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

100% 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 100% of its area, in 9 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse100%
D2 severe or worse74.8%
D3 extreme or worse0.1%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

2 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 1.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20190
20201
20210
20221
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202021.69 in
12 months to August 202615.45 in (-6.24)
202522.14 in (+0.45)
Wettest year since 18952019: 28.81 in
Driest year since 18951936: 8.47 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LITCHVILLE 2NW (21 mi away)4.6

Homes

Housing units5,700
Median year built1966
Built before 198069%
Built 2000 or later15%
Owner-occupied71%
Median value, owner-occupied$173,700
Single-family detached67%

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
Griggs County, ND 36 mi 12% 65%
Cass County, ND 39 mi 44% 88%
Steele County, ND 39 mi 11% 67%
LaMoure County, ND 39 mi 16% 53%
Ransom County, ND 40 mi 12% 62%
Stutsman County, ND 42 mi 15% 40%
Foster County, ND 53 mi 11% 70%
Traill County, ND 55 mi 36% 94%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (May 4, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status