Vernon County, Wisconsin
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 8% of Vernon County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 8%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 66 flood losses here since 2016, 28% of them in buildings with basements. 58% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.
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 Vernon County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 27.0% |
| Mapped soil | 522,221 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Valton | 15% | n/a |
| Seaton | 14% | n/a |
| Dorerton | 11% | n/a |
| Elbaville | 7% | n/a |
| Newglarus | 6% | n/a |
| Churchtown | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas WI123 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 35.22 in, 2.29 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 37.51 in.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 8% and a shallow water table on 8% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Vernon County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 4 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 26.2% 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 | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
66 flood losses since 2016, $2.8 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 36. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 28% basements, 36% slabs, 16% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 25 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 36 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 37.51 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.22 in (-2.29) |
| 2025 | 31.13 in (-6.38) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 51.47 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1958: 19.24 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at VIROQUA (4 mi away) | 9.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 14,065 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $223,800 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County, WI | 24 mi | 7% | 15% |
| Crawford County, WI | 25 mi | 5% | 9% |
| Monroe County, WI | 26 mi | 5% | 28% |
| La Crosse County, WI | 26 mi | 1% | 19% |
| Houston County, MN | 35 mi | 5% | 16% |
| Allamakee County, IA | 36 mi | 18% | 11% |
| Juneau County, WI | 42 mi | 2% | 62% |
| Sauk County, WI | 45 mi | 1% | 26% |
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