Michigan Soil Drainage Rankings
How well does the soil drain across Michigan? We ranked every USDA survey area by the percentage of land classified as "well drained." Areas at the top of the list have soils where water moves through at a healthy rate — favorable for building, septic, and gardening. Areas at the bottom have more waterlogged or slowly-draining soils that may require engineered solutions.
The best-drained survey area is St. Joseph County, Michigan at 73% well-drained soils. The most drainage-challenged is Midland County, Michigan at 0%. With 88% poorly-drained soils, properties in Midland County, Michigan should budget for drainage engineering, alternative septic designs, or raised-bed gardening.
| # | Survey Area | Well Drained | Poorly Drained | Dominant Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Joseph County, Michigan | 73% | 21% | Well drained |
| 2 | Cass County, Michigan | 72% | 20% | Well drained |
| 3 | Kalamazoo County, Michigan | 69% | 22% | Well drained |
| 4 | Livingston County, Michigan | 65% | 33% | Well drained |
| 5 | Jackson County, Michigan | 62% | 36% | Well drained |
| 6 | Calhoun County, Michigan | 61% | 31% | Well drained |
| 7 | Isle Royale National Park, Michigan | 61% | 24% | Well drained |
| 8 | Oakland County, Michigan | 59% | 35% | Well drained |
| 9 | Emmet County, Michigan | 58% | 23% | Well drained |
| 10 | Charlevoix County, Michigan | 57% | 26% | Well drained |
| 11 | Barry County, Michigan | 53% | 23% | Well drained |
| 12 | Ionia County, Michigan | 52% | 39% | Well drained |
| 13 | Dickinson County, Michigan | 51% | 34% | Well drained |
| 14 | Hillsdale County, Michigan | 47% | 31% | Well drained |
| 15 | Washtenaw County, Michigan | 47% | 43% | Well drained |
| 16 | Montcalm County, Michigan | 47% | 27% | Well drained |
| 17 | Leelanau County, Michigan | 45% | 12% | Well drained |
| 18 | Berrien County, Michigan | 42% | 49% | Well drained |
| 19 | Menominee County, Michigan | 41% | 54% | Well drained |
| 20 | Kent County, Michigan | 40% | 32% | Well drained |
| 21 | Lapeer County, Michigan | 40% | 53% | Well drained |
| 22 | Osceola County, Michigan | 40% | 24% | Well drained |
| 23 | Branch County, Michigan | 37% | 56% | Well drained |
| 24 | Marquette County, Michigan | 36% | 29% | Well drained |
| 25 | Van Buren County, Michigan | 32% | 47% | Well drained |
| 26 | Isabella County, Michigan | 32% | 54% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 27 | Lake and Wexford Counties, Michigan | 31% | 14% | Well drained |
| 28 | Ingham County, Michigan | 30% | 61% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 29 | Ogemaw County, Michigan | 29% | 31% | Well drained |
| 30 | Oceana County, Michigan | 29% | 23% | Excessively drained |
| 31 | Grand Traverse County, Michigan | 29% | 13% | Excessively drained |
| 32 | Clare County, Michigan | 29% | 29% | Well drained |
| 33 | Otsego County, Michigan | 28% | 11% | Somewhat excessively drained |
| 34 | Mecosta County, Michigan | 28% | 25% | Somewhat excessively drained |
| 35 | Alcona County, Michigan | 28% | 32% | Well drained |
| 36 | Mason County, Michigan | 27% | 35% | Well drained |
| 37 | Baraga County, Michigan | 26% | 28% | Moderately well drained |
| 38 | Montmorency County, Michigan | 26% | 25% | Well drained |
| 39 | Missaukee County, Michigan | 25% | 36% | Well drained |
| 40 | Antrim County, Michigan | 25% | 14% | Somewhat excessively drained |
| 41 | Presque Isle County, Michigan | 24% | 51% | Well drained |
| 42 | Mackinac County, Michigan | 24% | 57% | Very poorly drained |
| 43 | Eaton County, Michigan | 24% | 56% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 44 | Iron County, Michigan | 23% | 24% | Moderately well drained |
| 45 | Sanilac County, Michigan | 22% | 77% | Poorly drained |
| 46 | Keweenaw County Area, Michigan | 22% | 32% | Moderately well drained |
| 47 | Cheboygan County, Michigan | 21% | 41% | Very poorly drained |
| 48 | Genesee County, Michigan | 21% | 66% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 49 | Benzie and Manistee Counties, Michigan | 20% | 14% | Excessively drained |
| 50 | Clinton County, Michigan | 20% | 72% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 51 | Shiawassee County, Michigan | 19% | 76% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 52 | Delta County, Michigan | 19% | 58% | Very poorly drained |
| 53 | Newaygo County, Michigan | 18% | 30% | Excessively drained |
| 54 | Allegan County, Michigan | 18% | 50% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 55 | Lenawee County, Michigan | 18% | 64% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 56 | Alger County, Michigan | 17% | 27% | Somewhat excessively drained |
| 57 | Houghton County, Michigan | 17% | 19% | Moderately well drained |
| 58 | Macomb County, Michigan | 17% | 79% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 59 | Luce County, Michigan | 16% | 43% | Very poorly drained |
| 60 | Ontonagon County, Michigan | 16% | 33% | Moderately well drained |
| 61 | Ottawa County, Michigan | 14% | 56% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 62 | Tuscola County, Michigan | 14% | 72% | Poorly drained |
| 63 | Gladwin County, Michigan | 12% | 62% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 64 | Schoolcraft County, Michigan | 11% | 55% | Very poorly drained |
| 65 | Muskegon County, Michigan | 11% | 35% | Excessively drained |
| 66 | Oscoda County, Michigan | 10% | 13% | Excessively drained |
| 67 | Chippewa County, Michigan | 10% | 61% | Poorly drained |
| 68 | Alpena County, Michigan | 9% | 55% | Moderately well drained |
| 69 | Gogebic County, Michigan | 9% | 35% | Moderately well drained |
| 70 | Arenac County, Michigan | 8% | 76% | Poorly drained |
| 71 | Crawford County, Michigan | 7% | 11% | Excessively drained |
| 72 | Wayne County, Michigan | 6% | 84% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 73 | St. Clair County, Michigan | 6% | 93% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 74 | Gratiot County, Michigan | 5% | 86% | Poorly drained |
| 75 | Roscommon County, Michigan | 3% | 39% | Somewhat excessively drained |
| 76 | Iosco County, Michigan | 3% | 44% | Excessively drained |
| 77 | Huron County, Michigan | 3% | 84% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 78 | Saginaw County, Michigan | 2% | 94% | Poorly drained |
| 79 | Kalkaska County, Michigan | 1% | 17% | Somewhat excessively drained |
| 80 | Monroe County, Michigan | 0% | 91% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 81 | Bay County, Michigan | 0% | 97% | Poorly drained |
| 82 | Midland County, Michigan | 0% | 88% | Poorly drained |