Wisconsin Soil Drainage Rankings
How well does the soil drain across Wisconsin? 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 Vernon County, Wisconsin at 89% well-drained soils. The most drainage-challenged is Clark County, Wisconsin at 1%. With 49% poorly-drained soils, properties in Clark County, Wisconsin should budget for drainage engineering, alternative septic designs, or raised-bed gardening.
| # | Survey Area | Well Drained | Poorly Drained | Dominant Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vernon County, Wisconsin | 89% | 4% | Well drained |
| 2 | Crawford County, Wisconsin | 86% | 6% | Well drained |
| 3 | Grant County, Wisconsin | 85% | 3% | Well drained |
| 4 | Richland County, Wisconsin | 80% | 9% | Well drained |
| 5 | Lafayette County, Wisconsin | 80% | 7% | Well drained |
| 6 | Iowa County, Wisconsin | 80% | 7% | Well drained |
| 7 | Buffalo County, Wisconsin | 75% | 12% | Well drained |
| 8 | Dane County, Wisconsin | 70% | 23% | Well drained |
| 9 | Green County, Wisconsin | 70% | 15% | Well drained |
| 10 | Rock County, Wisconsin | 69% | 21% | Well drained |
| 11 | Door County, Wisconsin | 67% | 28% | Well drained |
| 12 | Walworth County, Wisconsin | 64% | 26% | Well drained |
| 13 | Brown County, Wisconsin | 62% | 31% | Well drained |
| 14 | La Crosse County, Wisconsin | 62% | 10% | Well drained |
| 15 | Trempealeau County, Wisconsin | 62% | 12% | Well drained |
| 16 | Sauk County, Wisconsin | 62% | 16% | Well drained |
| 17 | Kewaunee County, Wisconsin | 60% | 33% | Well drained |
| 18 | Columbia County, Wisconsin | 56% | 31% | Well drained |
| 19 | Sheboygan County, Wisconsin | 56% | 31% | Well drained |
| 20 | St. Croix County, Wisconsin | 54% | 17% | Well drained |
| 21 | Green Lake County, Wisconsin | 53% | 35% | Well drained |
| 22 | Pepin County, Wisconsin | 53% | 14% | Well drained |
| 23 | Pierce County, Wisconsin | 53% | 6% | Well drained |
| 24 | Ozaukee County, Wisconsin | 52% | 31% | Well drained |
| 25 | Monroe County, Wisconsin | 51% | 21% | Well drained |
| 26 | Manitowoc County, Wisconsin | 51% | 44% | Well drained |
| 27 | Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin | 50% | 42% | Well drained |
| 28 | Polk County, Wisconsin | 49% | 19% | Well drained |
| 29 | Langlade County, Wisconsin | 48% | 33% | Well drained |
| 30 | Washington County, Wisconsin | 47% | 33% | Well drained |
| 31 | Waukesha County, Wisconsin | 47% | 34% | Well drained |
| 32 | Calumet County, Wisconsin | 46% | 47% | Well drained |
| 33 | Dunn County, Wisconsin | 46% | 14% | Well drained |
| 34 | Outagamie County, Wisconsin | 44% | 48% | Well drained |
| 35 | Florence County, Wisconsin | 43% | 20% | Well drained |
| 36 | Dodge County, Wisconsin | 41% | 41% | Well drained |
| 37 | Shawano County, Wisconsin | 41% | 41% | Well drained |
| 38 | Menominee County, Wisconsin | 41% | 17% | Well drained |
| 39 | Forest County, Wisconsin | 38% | 32% | Well drained |
| 40 | Waupaca County, Wisconsin | 37% | 39% | Well drained |
| 41 | Eau Claire County, Wisconsin | 37% | 25% | Well drained |
| 42 | Winnebago County, Wisconsin | 37% | 55% | Well drained |
| 43 | Barron County, Wisconsin | 35% | 14% | Well drained |
| 44 | Jefferson County, Wisconsin | 34% | 55% | Well drained |
| 45 | Marquette County, Wisconsin | 32% | 36% | Well drained |
| 46 | Oconto County, Wisconsin | 31% | 44% | Well drained |
| 47 | Oneida County, Wisconsin | 29% | 40% | Well drained |
| 48 | Chippewa County, Wisconsin | 29% | 35% | Well drained |
| 49 | Marinette County, Wisconsin | 28% | 36% | Well drained |
| 50 | Portage County, Wisconsin | 26% | 41% | Well drained |
| 51 | Jackson County, Wisconsin | 26% | 36% | Well drained |
| 52 | Marathon County, Wisconsin | 25% | 53% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 53 | Washburn County, Wisconsin | 25% | 17% | Moderately well drained |
| 54 | Juneau County, Wisconsin | 21% | 51% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 55 | Bayfield County, Wisconsin | 20% | 11% | Moderately well drained |
| 56 | Sawyer County, Wisconsin | 20% | 34% | Moderately well drained |
| 57 | Lincoln County, Wisconsin | 18% | 55% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 58 | Kenosha County, Wisconsin | 14% | 46% | Moderately well drained |
| 59 | Racine County, Wisconsin | 14% | 46% | Moderately well drained |
| 60 | Vilas County, Wisconsin | 13% | 20% | Excessively drained |
| 61 | Douglas County, Wisconsin | 12% | 26% | Moderately well drained |
| 62 | Adams County, Wisconsin | 10% | 25% | Excessively drained |
| 63 | Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | 9% | 44% | Moderately well drained |
| 64 | Taylor County, Wisconsin | 9% | 66% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 65 | Waushara County, Wisconsin | 9% | 31% | Excessively drained |
| 66 | Ashland County, Wisconsin | 8% | 35% | Moderately well drained |
| 67 | Iron County, Wisconsin | 8% | 40% | Moderately well drained |
| 68 | Price County, Wisconsin | 7% | 59% | Very poorly drained |
| 69 | Rusk County, Wisconsin | 7% | 55% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 70 | Wood County, Wisconsin | 7% | 73% | Somewhat poorly drained |
| 71 | Burnett County, Wisconsin | 3% | 29% | Moderately well drained |
| 72 | Clark County, Wisconsin | 1% | 49% | Moderately well drained |