Waupaca County, Wisconsin
A shallow water table limits basements on 46% of Waupaca County's mapped land, a higher share than 63% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 79 flood losses here since 2016, 35% of them in buildings with basements. 57% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Waupaca County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 46.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.5% |
| Mapped soil | 489,516 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Hortonville | 12% | n/a |
| Plainfield | 10% | 2% |
| Rosholt | 10% | n/a |
| Kennan | 9% | n/a |
| Seelyeville | 8% | n/a |
| Symco | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas WI135 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
On 46% of Waupaca 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: 32.96 in, 0.33 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 32.63 in.
USDA rates 90% 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 21 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 4 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 32.3% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
79 flood losses since 2016, $2.2 million paid. The worst year was 2026, with 70. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 35% basements, 27% slabs, 35% crawl spaces, 4% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 13 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 70 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 32.63 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.96 in (+0.33) |
| 2025 | 30.80 in (-1.83) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 44.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1895: 19.37 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WAUPACA (10 mi away) | 7.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 25,791 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 57% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $211,400 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawano County, WI | 24 mi | under 1% | 50% |
| Outagamie County, WI | 25 mi | 20% | 54% |
| Portage County, WI | 26 mi | 2% | 46% |
| Waushara County, WI | 29 mi | 5% | 36% |
| Winnebago County, WI | 31 mi | 33% | 48% |
| Menominee County, WI | 38 mi | 0% | 33% |
| Calumet County, WI | 46 mi | 44% | 42% |
| Brown County, WI | 48 mi | 47% | 32% |
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