Minnesota Soil Drainage Rankings
How well does the soil drain across Minnesota? 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 Winona County, Minnesota at 85% well-drained soils. The most drainage-challenged is Pennington County, Minnesota at 0%. With 76% poorly-drained soils, properties in Pennington County, Minnesota should budget for drainage engineering, alternative septic designs, or raised-bed gardening.
| # | Survey Area | Well Drained | Poorly Drained | Dominant Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winona County, Minnesota | 85% | 5% | Well drained |
| 2 | Houston County, Minnesota | 84% | 7% | Well drained |
| 3 | Wabasha County, Minnesota | 79% | 4% | Well drained |
| 4 | Fillmore County, Minnesota | 79% | 8% | Well drained |
| 5 | Cook County, Minnesota | 66% | 23% | Well drained |
| 6 | Olmsted County, Minnesota | 64% | 21% | Well drained |
| 7 | Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota | 63% | 29% | Well drained |
| 8 | Dakota County, Minnesota | 60% | 21% | Well drained |
| 9 | Goodhue County, Minnesota | 59% | 18% | Well drained |
| 10 | Lincoln County, Minnesota | 56% | 29% | Well drained |
| 11 | Wright County, Minnesota | 53% | 34% | Well drained |
| 12 | Washington County, Minnesota | 51% | 18% | Well drained |
| 13 | Douglas County, Minnesota | 50% | 30% | Well drained |
| 14 | Rock County, Minnesota | 49% | 28% | Well drained |
| 15 | Pipestone County, Minnesota | 49% | 24% | Well drained |
| 16 | Scott County, Minnesota | 47% | 35% | Well drained |
| 17 | Lake County, Minnesota | 46% | 37% | Well drained |
| 18 | Pope County, Minnesota | 45% | 27% | Well drained |
| 19 | Hennepin County, Minnesota | 44% | 38% | Well drained |
| 20 | Otter Tail County, Minnesota | 42% | 26% | Well drained |
| 21 | Rice County, Minnesota | 40% | 44% | Well drained |
| 22 | Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota | 40% | 44% | Well drained |
| 23 | Hubbard County, Minnesota | 40% | 15% | Well drained |
| 24 | St. Louis County, Minnesota, Crane Lake Part | 38% | 43% | Well drained |
| 25 | Lyon County, Minnesota | 37% | 39% | Well drained |
| 26 | Becker County, Minnesota | 36% | 31% | Well drained |
| 27 | Mahnomen County, Minnesota | 36% | 46% | Well drained |
| 28 | Ramsey County, Minnesota | 35% | 34% | Well drained |
| 29 | Clearwater County, Minnesota | 35% | 41% | Well drained |
| 30 | Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota | 33% | 45% | Poorly drained |
| 31 | Stearns County, Minnesota | 32% | 36% | Well drained |
| 32 | Todd County, Minnesota | 32% | 36% | Well drained |
| 33 | Cass County, Minnesota | 30% | 39% | Well drained |
| 34 | Carlton County, Minnesota | 30% | 48% | Very poorly drained |
| 35 | Murray County, Minnesota | 29% | 44% | Poorly drained |
| 36 | St. Louis County, Minnesota, Embarrass Part | 29% | 54% | Very poorly drained |
| 37 | Le Sueur County, Minnesota | 27% | 62% | Poorly drained |
| 38 | Kandiyohi County, Minnesota | 26% | 51% | Poorly drained |
| 39 | Carver County, Minnesota | 26% | 61% | Well drained |
| 40 | Chippewa County, Minnesota | 25% | 51% | Well drained |
| 41 | Redwood County, Minnesota | 25% | 57% | Poorly drained |
| 42 | Itasca County, Minnesota | 24% | 48% | Very poorly drained |
| 43 | Stevens County, Minnesota | 22% | 32% | Moderately well drained |
| 44 | Meeker County, Minnesota | 22% | 56% | Poorly drained |
| 45 | Clay County, Minnesota | 21% | 64% | Poorly drained |
| 46 | Swift County, Minnesota | 20% | 52% | Poorly drained |
| 47 | Big Stone County, Minnesota | 20% | 43% | Moderately well drained |
| 48 | St. Louis County, Minnesota, Duluth Part | 20% | 54% | Very poorly drained |
| 49 | Pine County, Minnesota | 20% | 62% | Very poorly drained |
| 50 | Nobles County, Minnesota | 19% | 63% | Poorly drained |
| 51 | Chisago County, Minnesota | 19% | 45% | Very poorly drained |
| 52 | Grant County, Minnesota | 19% | 41% | Moderately well drained |
| 53 | Steele County, Minnesota | 18% | 61% | Poorly drained |
| 54 | Cottonwood County, Minnesota | 16% | 58% | Poorly drained |
| 55 | Freeborn County, Minnesota | 16% | 66% | Poorly drained |
| 56 | Isanti County, Minnesota | 15% | 45% | Very poorly drained |
| 57 | Waseca County, Minnesota | 14% | 71% | Poorly drained |
| 58 | Dodge County, Minnesota | 14% | 62% | Poorly drained |
| 59 | Beltrami County, Minnesota | 14% | 70% | Very poorly drained |
| 60 | Mower County, Minnesota | 13% | 81% | Poorly drained |
| 61 | Blue Earth County, Minnesota | 13% | 72% | Poorly drained |
| 62 | Faribault County, Minnesota | 12% | 72% | Poorly drained |
| 63 | Polk County, Minnesota | 12% | 75% | Poorly drained |
| 64 | Brown County, Minnesota | 12% | 65% | Poorly drained |
| 65 | Nicollet County, Minnesota | 12% | 71% | Poorly drained |
| 66 | Renville County, Minnesota | 12% | 69% | Poorly drained |
| 67 | McLeod County, Minnesota | 12% | 68% | Poorly drained |
| 68 | St. Louis County, Minnesota, Virginia Part | 11% | 66% | Very poorly drained |
| 69 | Watonwan County, Minnesota | 11% | 68% | Poorly drained |
| 70 | Kanabec County, Minnesota | 10% | 65% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 71 | Morrison County, Minnesota | 9% | 56% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 72 | Aitkin County, Minnesota | 9% | 75% | Very poorly drained |
| 73 | Martin County, Minnesota | 9% | 72% | Poorly drained |
| 74 | Jackson County, Minnesota | 7% | 64% | Poorly drained |
| 75 | Norman County, Minnesota | 7% | 79% | Poorly drained |
| 76 | Sibley County, Minnesota | 7% | 80% | Poorly drained |
| 77 | Wilkin County, Minnesota | 6% | 82% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 78 | Crow Wing County, Minnesota | 6% | 41% | Moderately well drained |
| 79 | St. Louis County, Minnesota, Meadowlands Part | 6% | 77% | Very poorly drained |
| 80 | Sherburne County, Minnesota | 5% | 29% | Excessively drained |
| 81 | Anoka County, Minnesota | 5% | 52% | Very poorly drained |
| 82 | Mille Lacs County, Minnesota | 5% | 77% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 83 | Traverse County, Minnesota | 5% | 75% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 84 | Wadena County, Minnesota | 3% | 41% | Moderately well drained |
| 85 | Benton County, Minnesota | 2% | 59% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 86 | Koochiching County Area, Minnesota | 1% | 90% | Very poorly drained |
| 87 | Kittson County, Minnesota | 0% | 86% | Poorly drained |
| 88 | Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota | 0% | 92% | Very poorly drained |
| 89 | Marshall County, Minnesota | 0% | 86% | Poorly drained |
| 90 | Roseau County, Minnesota | 0% | 84% | Poorly drained |
| 91 | Red Lake County, Minnesota | 0% | 75% | Poorly drained |
| 92 | Pennington County, Minnesota | 0% | 76% | Poorly drained |