HomeNorth DakotaStark County
Stark County, North Dakota
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 37% of Stark County's mapped land, a higher share than 85% of US counties and the 3rd highest of 53 North Dakota 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 2 flood losses here since 2016. 41% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1986.
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 Stark County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 37.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 4.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 38.0% |
| Mapped soil | 857,900 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Amor | 12% | n/a |
| Cabba | 7% | n/a |
| Vebar | 6% | n/a |
| Janesburg | 6% | n/a |
| Daglum | 5% | n/a |
| Shambo | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas ND089 (2026-05-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.4% by land area here, and 38% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 37% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 37% of Stark County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 13.39 in, 2.98 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 16.37 in.
USDA rates 83% 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 13 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 12 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 | 18.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $18,415 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 16.37 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 13.39 in (-2.98) |
| 2025 | 20.51 in (+4.14) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1982: 26.50 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1936: 7.04 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at THEODORE ROOSEVELT AP (7 mi away) | 2.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 15,514 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 41% |
| Built 2000 or later | 40% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $271,700 |
| Single-family detached | 60% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hettinger County, ND | 28 mi | 43% | 7% |
| Billings County, ND | 36 mi | 25% | 4% |
| Dunn County, ND | 37 mi | 22% | 5% |
| Slope County, ND | 46 mi | 23% | 6% |
| Adams County, ND | 50 mi | 33% | 7% |
| Mercer County, ND | 52 mi | 15% | 4% |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 56 mi | 7% | 3% |
| Grant County, ND | 58 mi | 23% | 5% |
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