Ranked from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
Driest Counties in Wisconsin
The least rainfall in the country. Dry is easier on a building than wet, but it moves the cost somewhere else: irrigation, foundation movement in shrink-swell soils, and in the driest counties the price and reliability of water itself. Figures are NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals from the weather station nearest each county seat, so they describe a thirty-year average rather than any single year.
Wisconsin ranked
| # | County | Annual rainfall | FEMA risk rating | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florence County | 20.8" | Relatively Low | $170,000 |
| 2 | Clark County | 24.9" | Relatively Low | $163,800 |
| 3 | Ashland County | 27.9" | Very Low | $160,500 |
| 4 | Bayfield County | 27.9" | Very Low | $228,100 |
| 5 | Douglas County | 27.9" | Relatively Low | $190,400 |
| 6 | Fond du Lac County | 28.4" | Relatively Low | $209,800 |
| 7 | Langlade County | 29.4" | Relatively Low | $145,800 |
| 8 | Oneida County | 29.6" | Relatively Low | $227,500 |
| 9 | Kewaunee County | 30.1" | Very Low | $208,900 |
| 10 | Winnebago County | 30.6" | Relatively Moderate | $208,600 |
| 11 | Door County | 31.0" | Relatively Low | $305,800 |
| 12 | Wood County | 31.3" | Relatively Low | $168,100 |
| 13 | Barron County | 31.4" | Relatively Low | $198,300 |
| 14 | Brown County | 31.6" | Relatively Moderate | $245,900 |
| 15 | Outagamie County | 31.6" | Relatively Low | $244,100 |
| 16 | Washburn County | 31.6" | Very Low | $207,900 |
| 17 | Racine County | 31.8" | Relatively Moderate | $239,400 |
| 18 | Kenosha County | 31.9" | Relatively Moderate | $247,800 |
| 19 | Ozaukee County | 31.9" | Relatively Low | $368,900 |
| 20 | Manitowoc County | 32.0" | Relatively Low | $172,900 |
| 21 | Marinette County | 32.1" | Relatively Low | $154,600 |
| 22 | Menominee County | 32.1" | Very Low | $97,000 |
| 23 | Oconto County | 32.1" | Relatively Low | $212,000 |
| 24 | Price County | 32.4" | Very Low | $146,000 |
| 25 | Chippewa County | 32.6" | Relatively Low | $237,700 |
| 26 | Polk County | 32.9" | Relatively Low | $241,200 |
| 27 | St. Croix County | 33.0" | Relatively Low | $349,700 |
| 28 | Eau Claire County | 33.0" | Relatively Low | $242,400 |
| 29 | Shawano County | 33.1" | Relatively Low | $179,100 |
| 30 | Vilas County | 33.6" | Relatively Low | $270,700 |
| 31 | Lincoln County | 33.8" | Relatively Low | $177,700 |
| 32 | Burnett County | 33.8" | Relatively Low | $215,500 |
| 33 | Waupaca County | 33.8" | Relatively Low | $192,800 |
| 34 | Calumet County | 33.9" | Very Low | $252,100 |
| 35 | Marathon County | 33.9" | Relatively Moderate | $205,500 |
| 36 | Portage County | 34.0" | Relatively Low | $230,400 |
| 37 | Forest County | 34.1" | Relatively Low | $170,000 |
| 38 | Dunn County | 34.2" | Relatively Low | $226,200 |
| 39 | Taylor County | 34.2" | Very Low | $186,500 |
| 40 | Waushara County | 34.3" | Relatively Low | $186,000 |
| 41 | Jackson County | 34.5" | Relatively Low | $186,900 |
| 42 | Juneau County | 34.5" | Relatively Low | $165,200 |
| 43 | Sauk County | 34.5" | Relatively Low | $242,400 |
| 44 | Sheboygan County | 34.7" | Relatively Low | $218,400 |
| 45 | Adams County | 35.1" | Relatively Low | $184,500 |
| 46 | Sawyer County | 35.2" | Relatively Low | $223,300 |
| 47 | Pepin County | 35.2" | Very Low | $196,100 |
| 48 | La Crosse County | 35.2" | Relatively Low | $243,200 |
| 49 | Dodge County | 35.3" | Relatively Low | $218,400 |
| 50 | Monroe County | 35.6" | Relatively Low | $197,200 |
| 51 | Green Lake County | 35.6" | Relatively Low | $206,300 |
| 52 | Trempealeau County | 35.6" | Relatively Low | $203,300 |
| 53 | Rusk County | 35.8" | Very Low | $152,000 |
| 54 | Washington County | 35.8" | Relatively Low | $316,200 |
| 55 | Pierce County | 35.9" | Very Low | $308,600 |
| 56 | Waukesha County | 36.0" | Relatively Moderate | $373,600 |
| 57 | Marquette County | 36.3" | Relatively Low | $201,100 |
| 58 | Milwaukee County | 36.6" | Relatively High | $216,500 |
| 59 | Walworth County | 36.7" | Relatively Low | $275,900 |
| 60 | Buffalo County | 37.2" | Very Low | $197,600 |
| 61 | Iron County | 37.4" | Very Low | $155,200 |
| 62 | Rock County | 37.4" | Relatively Moderate | $215,900 |
| 63 | Lafayette County | 37.6" | Very Low | $182,100 |
| 64 | Crawford County | 37.7" | Relatively Low | $175,100 |
| 65 | Vernon County | 38.0" | Relatively Low | $210,600 |
| 66 | Columbia County | 38.3" | Relatively Moderate | $258,700 |
| 67 | Grant County | 38.5" | Relatively Low | $186,300 |
| 68 | Jefferson County | 38.7" | Relatively Low | $253,800 |
| 69 | Richland County | 39.5" | Relatively Low | $182,800 |
| 70 | Iowa County | 39.6" | Very Low | $248,100 |
| 71 | Green County | 39.7" | Relatively Low | $236,900 |
| 72 | Dane County | 40.2" | Relatively Moderate | $366,100 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Driest Counties across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in Wisconsin