Michigan: basement moisture and foundation risk by county
83 counties, ranked by our combined index. Highest combined risk is Oakland County (78), lowest is Mason County (20). The worst soil for foundation cracks specifically is in Livingston County.
| County | Index | Moisture | Cracks | Water table | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland County | 78 | 72 | 75 | 95 | Glaciolacustrine lake plain |
| Lenawee County | 74 | 71 | 71 | 82 | Glaciolacustrine lake plain |
| Livingston County | 74 | 70 | 75 | 82 | Glaciolacustrine lake plain |
| Washtenaw County | 71 | 72 | 53 | 95 | Glaciolacustrine lake plain |
| Wayne County | 71 | 73 | 59 | 82 | Glaciolacustrine lake plain |
| Monroe County | 67 | 74 | 58 | 66 | Glaciolacustrine lake plain |
| Jackson County | 59 | 54 | 48 | 82 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Kalamazoo County | 59 | 54 | 51 | 82 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Calhoun County | 58 | 53 | 48 | 82 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Genesee County | 57 | 56 | 53 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Macomb County | 57 | 56 | 53 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Saginaw County | 57 | 54 | 55 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Cass County | 56 | 53 | 53 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Hillsdale County | 56 | 53 | 52 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Ottawa County | 56 | 55 | 50 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Branch County | 55 | 55 | 48 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Clinton County | 55 | 52 | 52 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Kent County | 55 | 53 | 49 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Montcalm County | 54 | 57 | 30 | 82 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Tuscola County | 54 | 57 | 42 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Van Buren County | 54 | 55 | 43 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Berrien County | 53 | 54 | 43 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Sanilac County | 53 | 54 | 57 | 46 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| St. Clair County | 53 | 54 | 43 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Eaton County | 52 | 54 | 39 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Ionia County | 52 | 54 | 55 | 46 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Shiawassee County | 52 | 52 | 32 | 82 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Lapeer County | 51 | 52 | 38 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Muskegon County | 50 | 55 | 32 | 66 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Ingham County | 49 | 54 | 43 | 46 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Barry County | 48 | 55 | 41 | 46 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Newaygo County | 48 | 52 | 45 | 46 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| St. Joseph County | 48 | 56 | 39 | 46 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Allegan County | 46 | 54 | 35 | 46 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Isabella County | 46 | 54 | 34 | 46 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Gratiot County | 44 | 54 | 30 | 46 | Wisconsinan till plain |
| Iron County | 32 | 33 | 20 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Luce County | 32 | 33 | 19 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Delta County | 31 | 32 | 18 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Dickinson County | 31 | 32 | 18 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Iosco County | 31 | 32 | 19 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Kalkaska County | 31 | 32 | 18 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Alger County | 30 | 31 | 16 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Chippewa County | 30 | 31 | 17 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Gogebic County | 30 | 31 | 16 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Oscoda County | 30 | 31 | 17 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Alcona County | 29 | 32 | 14 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Emmet County | 29 | 31 | 14 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Grand Traverse County | 29 | 32 | 12 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Antrim County | 28 | 30 | 11 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Clare County | 28 | 32 | 9 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Ontonagon County | 28 | 30 | 11 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Otsego County | 28 | 32 | 20 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Benzie County | 27 | 30 | 9 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Huron County | 27 | 31 | 8 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Ogemaw County | 27 | 31 | 20 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Bay County | 26 | 30 | 18 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Cheboygan County | 26 | 30 | 16 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Gladwin County | 26 | 32 | 16 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Manistee County | 26 | 31 | 16 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Mecosta County | 26 | 30 | 18 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Presque Isle County | 26 | 30 | 7 | 46 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Roscommon County | 26 | 33 | 14 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Crawford County | 25 | 32 | 12 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Keweenaw County | 25 | 31 | 14 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Missaukee County | 25 | 30 | 13 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Montmorency County | 25 | 33 | 10 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Baraga County | 24 | 32 | 7 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Mackinac County | 24 | 31 | 11 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Oceana County | 24 | 31 | 19 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Arenac County | 23 | 30 | 19 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Houghton County | 23 | 33 | 13 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Lake County | 23 | 31 | 16 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Leelanau County | 23 | 29 | 10 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Marquette County | 23 | 30 | 7 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Midland County | 23 | 29 | 10 | 30 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Alpena County | 22 | 30 | 15 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Menominee County | 22 | 29 | 16 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Osceola County | 22 | 29 | 16 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Schoolcraft County | 22 | 33 | 12 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Charlevoix County | 21 | 32 | 8 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Wexford County | 21 | 31 | 11 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
| Mason County | 20 | 31 | 7 | 16 | Glaciofluvial sand plains |
Values from USDA NRCS SSURGO where available, otherwise our regional model — each county page states which. Methodology.
The physiographic regions inside Michigan
State lines are political; soil follows geology. These are the distinct ground types inside Michigan and why each behaves the way it does.
Glaciofluvial sand plains
Sand sheds water and there is very little clay, so volume-change cracking is rare. Where the outwash is thin over till or bedrock, though, a local perched water table forms and basements leak even in sand.
47 counties: Alcona County, Alger County, Alpena County, Antrim County, Arenac County, Baraga County, Bay County, Benzie County, Charlevoix County, Cheboygan County, Chippewa County, Clare County, Crawford County, Delta County, Dickinson County, Emmet County, Gladwin County, Gogebic County, Grand Traverse County, Houghton County, Huron County, Iosco County, Iron County, Kalkaska County, Keweenaw County, Lake County, Leelanau County, Luce County, Mackinac County, Manistee County, Marquette County, Mason County, Mecosta County, Menominee County, Midland County, Missaukee County, Montmorency County, Oceana County, Ogemaw County, Ontonagon County, Osceola County, Oscoda County, Otsego County, Presque Isle County, Roscommon County, Schoolcraft County, Wexford County
Wisconsinan till plain
The classic American basement belt. Below the topsoil sits dense till that water barely penetrates, so infiltrating water travels sideways along it until it meets the first vertical obstruction — typically a basement wall.
30 counties: Allegan County, Barry County, Berrien County, Branch County, Calhoun County, Cass County, Clinton County, Eaton County, Genesee County, Gratiot County, Hillsdale County, Ingham County, Ionia County, Isabella County, Jackson County, Kalamazoo County, Kent County, Lapeer County, Macomb County, Montcalm County, Muskegon County, Newaygo County, Ottawa County, Saginaw County, Sanilac County, Shiawassee County, St. Clair County, St. Joseph County, Tuscola County, Van Buren County
Glaciolacustrine lake plain
About the least favourable ground for a basement anywhere in the United States. Dead flat, clay with almost no permeability, and historically wetland that was drained artificially. Basements exist here because the houses were built before anyone modelled the consequence.
6 counties: Lenawee County, Livingston County, Monroe County, Oakland County, Washtenaw County, Wayne County
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