Monroe County, Wisconsin
A shallow water table limits basements on 28% of Monroe County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 5%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 47 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
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Monroe County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 28.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 12.3% |
| Mapped soil | 581,287 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Tarr | 11% | n/a |
| Norden | 10% | n/a |
| Valton | 7% | n/a |
| Council | 5% | n/a |
| Elevasil | 4% | n/a |
| Dorerton | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas WI081 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
On 28% of Monroe 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: 31.23 in, 4.42 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.65 in.
USDA rates 95% 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 11 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 40.2% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the June 9, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 1.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
47 flood losses since 2016, $1.1 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 27. Median water depth outside the building: 20 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 27 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 35.65 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.23 in (-4.42) |
| 2025 | 31.86 in (-3.79) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2016: 45.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1939: 19.76 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SPARTA (10 mi away) | 8.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 20,022 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 73% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $210,000 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Crosse County, WI | 25 mi | 1% | 19% |
| Juneau County, WI | 25 mi | 2% | 62% |
| Vernon County, WI | 26 mi | 8% | 8% |
| Jackson County, WI | 28 mi | 0% | 42% |
| Richland County, WI | 40 mi | 7% | 15% |
| Adams County, WI | 42 mi | 2% | 40% |
| Trempealeau County, WI | 44 mi | 1% | 15% |
| Wood County, WI | 46 mi | 4% | 80% |
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