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Billings County, North Dakota
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 25% of Billings County's mapped land, a higher share than 76% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 4%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Billings County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 25.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 25.8% |
| Mapped soil | 737,000 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Patent | 10% | n/a |
| Cabbart | 9% | under 1% |
| Lonna | 7% | n/a |
| Janesburg | 6% | n/a |
| Dogtooth | 5% | n/a |
| Arikara | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas ND007 (2026-05-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.7% by land area here, and 26% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 25% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 25% of Billings County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 14.74 in, 1.05 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 15.79 in.
USDA rates 78% 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 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 12.1% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $18,555 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 15.79 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 14.74 in (-1.05) |
| 2025 | 19.41 in (+3.62) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2013: 23.24 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 7.01 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MEDORA (10 mi away) | 2.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 546 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $331,000 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley County, ND | 23 mi | 7% | 3% |
| Stark County, ND | 36 mi | 37% | 4% |
| Slope County, ND | 39 mi | 23% | 6% |
| Dunn County, ND | 43 mi | 22% | 5% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 43 mi | 22% | 2% |
| McKenzie County, ND | 51 mi | 16% | 4% |
| Hettinger County, ND | 58 mi | 43% | 7% |
| Bowman County, ND | 62 mi | 32% | 4% |
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