Rolette County, North Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 62% of Rolette County's mapped land, a higher share than 76% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19%.

None 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. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

19%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

62%

high water table: limits basements

in drought, October 13, 2026

50%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Rolette County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)	19.3%
High water table (limits basements)	62.4%
Septic fields very limited	84.9%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)	4.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)	22.4%
Mapped soil	601,500 acres

Soil series	Share here	Series nationally: high water table
Kelvin	10%	n/a
Balaton	7%	n/a
Souris	6%	n/a
Hamerly	6%	n/a
Bottineau	5%	n/a
Svea	4%	n/a

Rolette 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 ND079 (2025-08-29)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% by land area here, and 22% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.

On 62% of Rolette 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: 16.76 in, 1.97 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.73 in.

USDA rates 85% 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 2 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 68.8% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Category, October 13, 2026	Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse	0%
D1 moderate drought or worse	0%
D2 severe or worse	0%
D3 extreme or worse	0%
D4 exceptional	0%

Flood losses since 2016

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

Rain

Average year, 1991-2020	18.73 in
12 months to August 2026	16.76 in (-1.97)
2025	14.80 in (-3.93)
Wettest year since 1895	1954: 26.98 in
Driest year since 1895	1934: 9.10 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BOTTINEAU (28 mi away)	2.5

Homes

Housing units	4,588
Median year built	1980
Built before 1980	50%
Built 2000 or later	23%
Owner-occupied	63%
Median value, owner-occupied	$103,800
Single-family detached	68%

What repairs cost

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

Work	Range	Source
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

Place	Distance	Expansive clay	High water table
Towner County, ND	28 mi	12%	94%
Pierce County, ND	37 mi	8%	68%
Bottineau County, ND	45 mi	18%	83%
McHenry County, ND	52 mi	9%	73%
Benson County, ND	53 mi	12%	69%
Ramsey County, ND	61 mi	24%	85%
Cavalier County, ND	63 mi	26%	79%
Wells County, ND	82 mi	10%	55%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status