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Ward County, North Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 44% of Ward County's mapped land, a higher share than 62% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 12%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, after 5.3% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 13 flood losses here since 2016. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

12%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

44%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

46%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Ward County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)11.6%
High water table (limits basements)44.4%
Septic fields very limited65.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)14.0%
Mapped soil1,315,300 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Forman11%n/a
Williams10%0%
Hamlet8%n/a
Zahl7%n/a
Aastad6%n/a
Bowbells6%n/a
Renville County: 86%Mountrail County: 15%McLean County: 13%McHenry County: 73%Bottineau County: 83%Burke County: 32%Mercer County: 4%Sheridan County: 31%Ward County RenvilleMountrailMcLeanMcHenryBottineauBurkeMercerSheridanWard
Ward 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 ND101 (2026-05-04)

What the numbers mean here

On 44% of Ward 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: 15.21 in, 2.40 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 17.61 in.

USDA rates 65% 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 10 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 95.4% of its area, in 4 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse22.3%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

13 flood losses since 2016, $100,959 paid. The worst year was 2023, with 4.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20181
20191
20202
20213
20221
20234
20241
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202017.61 in
12 months to August 202615.21 in (-2.40)
202518.09 in (+0.48)
Wettest year since 18951975: 26.92 in
Driest year since 18951934: 7.51 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MINOT EXP STN (11 mi away)2.8

Homes

Housing units32,487
Median year built1984
Built before 198046%
Built 2000 or later35%
Owner-occupied61%
Median value, owner-occupied$267,100
Single-family detached54%

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
Renville County, ND 35 mi 6% 86%
Mountrail County, ND 38 mi 12% 15%
McLean County, ND 39 mi 9% 13%
McHenry County, ND 42 mi 9% 73%
Bottineau County, ND 51 mi 18% 83%
Burke County, ND 60 mi 30% 32%
Mercer County, ND 64 mi 15% 4%
Sheridan County, ND 71 mi 15% 31%

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