BasementSoil

Wisconsin: basement moisture and foundation risk by county

72 counties, ranked by our combined index. Highest combined risk is Fond du Lac County (59), lowest is Menominee County (20). The worst soil for foundation cracks specifically is in Rock County.

Where in Wisconsin the ground is worse

Every county in the state, coloured by the soil values below. Click a county to open its report; switch what the colour means with the buttons. The pattern is geology, not administration — risk stops at the edge of a physiographic region, not at a county line.

Adams County, WI — combined 34/100, moisture 40, movement 16, water table 46Ashland County, WI — combined 25/100, moisture 33, movement 9, water table 30Barron County, WI — combined 31/100, moisture 31, movement 19, water table 46Bayfield County, WI — combined 24/100, moisture 30, movement 11, water table 30Brown County, WI — combined 28/100, moisture 32, movement 11, water table 46Buffalo County, WI — combined 35/100, moisture 37, movement 35, water table 30Burnett County, WI — combined 27/100, moisture 30, movement 20, water table 30Calumet County, WI — combined 57/100, moisture 56, movement 52, water table 66Chippewa County, WI — combined 25/100, moisture 33, movement 9, water table 30Clark County, WI — combined 23/100, moisture 30, movement 17, water table 16Columbia County, WI — combined 55/100, moisture 54, movement 38, water table 82Crawford County, WI — combined 32/100, moisture 37, movement 25, water table 30Dane County, WI — combined 49/100, moisture 52, movement 33, water table 66Dodge County, WI — combined 49/100, moisture 52, movement 48, water table 46Door County, WI — combined 27/100, moisture 31, movement 20, water table 30Douglas County, WI — combined 23/100, moisture 31, movement 16, water table 16Dunn County, WI — combined 26/100, moisture 31, movement 15, water table 30Eau Claire County, WI — combined 27/100, moisture 32, movement 19, water table 30Florence County, WI — combined 22/100, moisture 30, movement 16, water table 16Fond du Lac County, WI — combined 59/100, moisture 52, movement 52, water table 82Forest County, WI — combined 25/100, moisture 33, movement 9, water table 30Grant County, WI — combined 28/100, moisture 36, movement 25, water table 16Green County, WI — combined 48/100, moisture 56, movement 39, water table 46Green Lake County, WI — combined 58/100, moisture 56, movement 42, water table 82Iowa County, WI — combined 28/100, moisture 33, movement 30, water table 16Iron County, WI — combined 24/100, moisture 30, movement 11, water table 30Jackson County, WI — combined 27/100, moisture 33, movement 27, water table 16Jefferson County, WI — combined 46/100, moisture 57, movement 30, water table 46Juneau County, WI — combined 33/100, moisture 40, movement 14, water table 46Kenosha County, WI — combined 59/100, moisture 56, movement 48, water table 82Kewaunee County, WI — combined 24/100, moisture 32, movement 7, water table 30La Crosse County, WI — combined 34/100, moisture 33, movement 26, water table 46Lafayette County, WI — combined 29/100, moisture 34, movement 22, water table 30Langlade County, WI — combined 26/100, moisture 30, movement 17, water table 30Lincoln County, WI — combined 22/100, moisture 33, movement 11, water table 16Manitowoc County, WI — combined 50/100, moisture 54, movement 33, water table 66Marathon County, WI — combined 29/100, moisture 33, movement 10, water table 46Marinette County, WI — combined 25/100, moisture 32, movement 13, water table 30Marquette County, WI — combined 34/100, moisture 42, movement 15, water table 46Menominee County, WI — combined 20/100, moisture 29, movement 10, water table 16Milwaukee County, WI — combined 54/100, moisture 52, movement 49, water table 66Monroe County, WI — combined 27/100, moisture 37, movement 21, water table 16Oconto County, WI — combined 31/100, moisture 33, movement 16, water table 46Oneida County, WI — combined 29/100, moisture 32, movement 13, water table 46Outagamie County, WI — combined 47/100, moisture 53, movement 39, water table 46Ozaukee County, WI — combined 59/100, moisture 52, movement 52, water table 82Pepin County, WI — combined 27/100, moisture 36, movement 23, water table 16Pierce County, WI — combined 28/100, moisture 31, movement 12, water table 46Polk County, WI — combined 31/100, moisture 31, movement 20, water table 46Portage County, WI — combined 38/100, moisture 39, movement 16, water table 66Price County, WI — combined 28/100, moisture 33, movement 20, water table 30Racine County, WI — combined 56/100, moisture 56, movement 48, water table 66Richland County, WI — combined 35/100, moisture 37, movement 37, water table 30Rock County, WI — combined 57/100, moisture 54, movement 54, water table 66Rusk County, WI — combined 22/100, moisture 29, movement 16, water table 16Sauk County, WI — combined 30/100, moisture 35, movement 22, water table 30Sawyer County, WI — combined 29/100, moisture 30, movement 16, water table 46Shawano County, WI — combined 26/100, moisture 29, movement 19, water table 30Sheboygan County, WI — combined 57/100, moisture 55, movement 52, water table 66St. Croix County, WI — combined 21/100, moisture 33, movement 7, water table 16Taylor County, WI — combined 21/100, moisture 29, movement 13, water table 16Trempealeau County, WI — combined 24/100, moisture 33, movement 16, water table 16Vernon County, WI — combined 30/100, moisture 34, movement 35, water table 16Vilas County, WI — combined 25/100, moisture 31, movement 14, water table 30Walworth County, WI — combined 55/100, moisture 54, movement 36, water table 82Washburn County, WI — combined 24/100, moisture 29, movement 12, water table 30Washington County, WI — combined 56/100, moisture 55, movement 38, water table 82Waukesha County, WI — combined 54/100, moisture 52, movement 48, water table 66Waupaca County, WI — combined 26/100, moisture 30, movement 7, water table 46Waushara County, WI — combined 52/100, moisture 55, movement 53, water table 46Winnebago County, WI — combined 52/100, moisture 56, movement 52, water table 46Wood County, WI — combined 40/100, moisture 39, movement 22, water table 66
  • Low (0–27)
  • Moderate (28–49)
  • Elevated (50–74)
  • High (75–100)

County boundaries: US Census TIGER (public domain), simplified for display. Colours are our index from USDA SSURGO fields where loaded, otherwise from our regional model — each county page states which. How the index is calculated.

CountyIndexMoistureCracksWater tableRegion
Fond du Lac County59525282Wisconsinan till plain
Kenosha County59564882Wisconsinan till plain
Ozaukee County59525282Wisconsinan till plain
Green Lake County58564282Wisconsinan till plain
Calumet County57565266Wisconsinan till plain
Rock County57545466Wisconsinan till plain
Sheboygan County57555266Wisconsinan till plain
Racine County56564866Wisconsinan till plain
Washington County56553882Wisconsinan till plain
Columbia County55543882Wisconsinan till plain
Walworth County55543682Wisconsinan till plain
Milwaukee County54524966Wisconsinan till plain
Waukesha County54524866Wisconsinan till plain
Waushara County52555346Wisconsinan till plain
Winnebago County52565246Wisconsinan till plain
Manitowoc County50543366Wisconsinan till plain
Dane County49523366Wisconsinan till plain
Dodge County49524846Wisconsinan till plain
Green County48563946Wisconsinan till plain
Outagamie County47533946Wisconsinan till plain
Jefferson County46573046Wisconsinan till plain
Wood County40392266Central Wisconsin Sand Plain
Portage County38391666Central Wisconsin Sand Plain
Buffalo County35373530Driftless Area
Richland County35373730Driftless Area
Adams County34401646Central Wisconsin Sand Plain
La Crosse County34332646Driftless Area
Marquette County34421546Central Wisconsin Sand Plain
Juneau County33401446Central Wisconsin Sand Plain
Crawford County32372530Driftless Area
Barron County31311946Glaciofluvial sand plains
Oconto County31331646Glaciofluvial sand plains
Polk County31312046Glaciofluvial sand plains
Sauk County30352230Driftless Area
Vernon County30343516Driftless Area
Lafayette County29342230Driftless Area
Marathon County29331046Glaciofluvial sand plains
Oneida County29321346Glaciofluvial sand plains
Sawyer County29301646Glaciofluvial sand plains
Brown County28321146Glaciofluvial sand plains
Grant County28362516Driftless Area
Iowa County28333016Driftless Area
Pierce County28311246Glaciofluvial sand plains
Price County28332030Glaciofluvial sand plains
Burnett County27302030Glaciofluvial sand plains
Door County27312030Glaciofluvial sand plains
Eau Claire County27321930Glaciofluvial sand plains
Jackson County27332716Driftless Area
Monroe County27372116Driftless Area
Pepin County27362316Driftless Area
Dunn County26311530Glaciofluvial sand plains
Langlade County26301730Glaciofluvial sand plains
Shawano County26291930Glaciofluvial sand plains
Waupaca County2630746Glaciofluvial sand plains
Ashland County2533930Glaciofluvial sand plains
Chippewa County2533930Glaciofluvial sand plains
Forest County2533930Glaciofluvial sand plains
Marinette County25321330Glaciofluvial sand plains
Vilas County25311430Glaciofluvial sand plains
Bayfield County24301130Glaciofluvial sand plains
Iron County24301130Glaciofluvial sand plains
Kewaunee County2432730Glaciofluvial sand plains
Trempealeau County24331616Driftless Area
Washburn County24291230Glaciofluvial sand plains
Clark County23301716Glaciofluvial sand plains
Douglas County23311616Glaciofluvial sand plains
Florence County22301616Glaciofluvial sand plains
Lincoln County22331116Glaciofluvial sand plains
Rusk County22291616Glaciofluvial sand plains
St. Croix County2133716Glaciofluvial sand plains
Taylor County21291316Glaciofluvial sand plains
Menominee County20291016Glaciofluvial sand plains

Values from USDA NRCS SSURGO where available, otherwise our regional model — each county page states which. Methodology.

The physiographic regions inside Wisconsin

State lines are political; soil follows geology. These are the distinct ground types inside Wisconsin 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.

33 counties: Ashland County, Barron County, Bayfield County, Brown County, Burnett County, Chippewa County, Clark County, Door County, Douglas County, Dunn County, Eau Claire County, Florence County, Forest County, Iron County, Kewaunee County, Langlade County, Lincoln County, Marathon County, Marinette County, Menominee County, Oconto County, Oneida County, Pierce County, Polk County, Price County, Rusk County, Sawyer County, Shawano County, St. Croix County, Taylor County, Vilas County, Washburn County, Waupaca 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.

21 counties: Calumet County, Columbia County, Dane County, Dodge County, Fond du Lac County, Green County, Green Lake County, Jefferson County, Kenosha County, Manitowoc County, Milwaukee County, Outagamie County, Ozaukee County, Racine County, Rock County, Sheboygan County, Walworth County, Washington County, Waukesha County, Waushara County, Winnebago County

Driftless Area

The region the ice sheets missed. Slope, permeable loess, deep water table. Soil-driven basement risk is low here; the problems are surface runoff arriving from the hillside rather than groundwater pushing in.

13 counties: Buffalo County, Crawford County, Grant County, Iowa County, Jackson County, La Crosse County, Lafayette County, Monroe County, Pepin County, Richland County, Sauk County, Trempealeau County, Vernon County

Central Wisconsin Sand Plain

Sand, but flat sand with the water table close behind it. Cracking is not the issue; a pump that runs through spring is. Easy to mistake for the well-drained sand country further north.

5 counties: Adams County, Juneau County, Marquette County, Portage County, Wood County

Page data updated