HomeNorth DakotaMcIntosh County

McIntosh County, North Dakota

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22% of McIntosh County's mapped land, a higher share than 72% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 12%.

0.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 83% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1955.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

22%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

12%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

83%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under McIntosh County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)21.6%
High water table (limits basements)11.7%
Septic fields very limited44.8%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)14.8%
Mapped soil633,300 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Williams14%0%
Zahl11%n/a
Bearpaw9%n/a
Wabek7%n/a
Bowbells5%n/a
Lehr5%n/a
McPherson County: 18%Logan County: 11%Campbell County: 18%Emmons County: 14%Dickey County: 20%Edmunds County: 22%LaMoure County: 16%Walworth County: 26%McIntosh County McPhersonLoganCampbellEmmonsDickeyEdmundsLaMoureWalworthMcIntosh
McIntosh County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas ND051 (2026-05-04)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% 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 22% of the mapped land.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 16.42 in, 4.38 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 20.80 in.

Drought

0.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 9 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 13.3% of its area, in 6 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse98.5%
D1 moderate drought or worse0.4%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in McIntosh County since 2016.

Rain

Average year, 1991-202020.80 in
12 months to August 202616.42 in (-4.38)
202520.88 in (+0.08)
Wettest year since 18952019: 30.69 in
Driest year since 18951936: 6.76 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ASHLEY (5 mi away)3.6

Homes

Housing units1,677
Median year built1955
Built before 198083%
Built 2000 or later8%
Owner-occupied79%
Median value, owner-occupied$84,200
Single-family detached87%

What repairs cost

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

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
McPherson County, SD 21 mi 18% 22%
Logan County, ND 26 mi 11% 15%
Campbell County, SD 34 mi 18% 13%
Emmons County, ND 40 mi 14% 7%
Dickey County, ND 45 mi 20% 60%
Edmunds County, SD 49 mi 22% 25%
LaMoure County, ND 51 mi 16% 53%
Walworth County, SD 54 mi 26% 10%

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