Kewaunee County, Wisconsin
A shallow water table limits basements on 40% of Kewaunee County's mapped land, a higher share than 58% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19%.
35.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses here since 2016. 63% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1970.
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 Kewaunee County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 40.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 14.5% |
| Mapped soil | 220,281 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Hortonville | 21% | n/a |
| Kewaunee | 13% | n/a |
| Symco | 7% | n/a |
| Waymor | 7% | n/a |
| Casco | 5% | n/a |
| Carbondale | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas WI061 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.7% by land area here, and 14% 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.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 35.9% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 19% of Kewaunee County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 40% of Kewaunee 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: 30.59 in, 1.31 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 31.90 in.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
35.9% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 weeks, most recently on the January 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 53.2% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 35.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
8 flood losses since 2016, $58,364 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 6.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.90 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 30.59 in (-1.31) |
| 2025 | 28.68 in (-3.22) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 44.82 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1895: 18.69 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at KEWAUNEE (10 mi away) | 5.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,367 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 63% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 87% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $222,200 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, WI | 28 mi | 47% | 32% |
| Manitowoc County, WI | 32 mi | 38% | 47% |
| Door County, WI | 39 mi | 9% | 35% |
| Oconto County, WI | 46 mi | 0% | 51% |
| Outagamie County, WI | 52 mi | 20% | 54% |
| Calumet County, WI | 52 mi | 44% | 42% |
| Marinette County, WI | 58 mi | under 1% | 42% |
| Benzie County, MI | 60 mi | 0% | 20% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 10, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status