Compare Land Parcels in Wisconsin Side by Side
Three listings, one weekend to look at them. Put their terrain in one table first: elevation range, slope, winter sun and drainage for up to 5 parcels, measured the same way from USGS 3DEP lidar.
Start a shortlist
Click a parcel, give it a name and save it. Each parcel you add becomes a column in the comparison table.
Open Saved Properties →Why compare terrain before you visit
Listings describe land in words: “gently rolling”, “private wooded acreage”, “great building site”. Two parcels with the same description can be very different on the ground, one a dry south-facing bench above a coulee in the Driftless Area and the other a north slope that drains into a wet hollow. A drive out to each costs a day. A side-by-side table costs a few minutes and tells you which visits are worth making.
The Saved Properties tool measures each parcel on the same footing, from the same elevation model, and lays the results out in columns so the differences are numbers rather than impressions.
What the comparison table shows
Each saved parcel gets one column. The rows are:
- Measured area. The ground inside the boundary that the terrain covers, in acres or square feet.
- Lowest point, highest point and relief. Elevations in feet above NAVD 88, and the difference between them.
- Mean slope. The average steepness across the parcel, in degrees.
- Mean winter sun and area with 3 h or more of sun. Hours of direct sun on December 21, the shortest day, modeled with shadows from the surrounding terrain, and the share of the parcel that gets at least three hours.
- Drainage line length. How much channel the flow of water across the terrain forms inside the boundary, counting land within 0.62 mi of it. More channel means more of the parcel carries water after rain.
- Terrain and drainage resolution. How fine the elevation data behind each figure was. Larger areas are measured more coarsely.
Under the table, each parcel has a notes line with its dominant aspect (the direction most of the ground faces) and the caveats that apply. Show on map brings a saved boundary back as the selected area, so you can run any other tool on it.
How to compare parcels
- Open Saved Properties. Search the first address and click inside the parcel, or draw a box or polygon, or upload a boundary if the parcel map does not show the land you mean.
- Name it. Type a name you will recognize later, such as the listing number or the road. Leave it blank and the parcel label is used.
- Choose Analyze and save property. Winter sun is modeled first, then the terrain and drainage. The button shows the progress; larger parcels take longer.
- Repeat for the rest of the shortlist, up to 5 parcels. The table fills in as each one finishes.
- Export the comparison. The file holds every boundary, its measurements and the data attribution, so you can keep it or send it to a partner, an agent or a builder.
Then look closer at the front runners
The table narrows the list. These tools run on any saved parcel once you choose Show on map.
Reading the table fairly
Compare like with like
A small lot and a large farm will differ in relief and drainage line length simply because of their size. Mean slope and the winter sun figures are averages over the parcel, so they compare fairly across sizes; relief and channel length need to be read with the measured area beside them.
The average hides the shape
A parcel that is half flat field and half steep wooded bank has a moderate mean slope that describes neither half. When two parcels are close in the table, run Slope & Aspect on each to see where the gentle ground is, and whether there is enough of it in one place to build on.
Winter sun is terrain only
The sun hours count shadows cast by hills, bluffs and valley walls, not by trees or buildings. On a wooded lot in the Northwoods or a parcel below a stand of pines, the real figure is lower. In Wisconsin, as anywhere in the northern hemisphere, the south-facing parcels will usually lead this row.
Drainage is a pointer, not a verdict
A parcel with a lot of drainage line is not necessarily wet, and one with little is not necessarily dry: soils, drainage tile and ditches are not in the terrain. Use the row to decide where to look, then run the Wetness Map on the parcels where it matters.
What the comparison leaves out
The table compares the shape of the ground. Before an offer, the public records still need checking for each parcel: zoning and shoreland rules with the county, access, wells and septic, wetlands, the FEMA flood maps, and title. The terrain checks before buying rural land guide walks through the order to do them in, and the Property Report ends with a checklist of those records for the parcel you settle on.
About the data
Ground elevations come from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) seamless bare-earth model, with elevations above NAVD 88. Source cells are 3.3 ft per pixel in the finest work units, with about 9.8 ft per pixel and 33 ft per pixel sources elsewhere. USGS elevation data is public domain. Lidar coverage and source dates vary across Wisconsin. Check your site against the USGS 3DEP work-unit index; an unavailable lookup means coverage is unknown. Every parcel in the comparison is measured from the same model, so the numbers are comparable within one table; a parcel in a coarser source area will show it in the resolution rows. More from the USGS 3D Elevation Program and Wisconsin elevation resources.
Frequently asked questions
How many parcels can I compare at once?
Up to 5. The list is full at 5; remove one with Remove in the table before saving another. Saving the same boundary again replaces its earlier snapshot rather than adding a duplicate.
Where is my shortlist kept?
In your browser’s local storage, on this device only. There is no account and the list is not sent to a server, so it will not appear on your phone if you built it on a laptop, and clearing site data removes it. Export the comparison to keep a copy as a file.
Can I compare land I drew myself rather than a parcel?
Yes. Draw a box or polygon, or upload a boundary, and save it the same way. It is saved under the name you type, or as a Selected area if you leave the name blank. A drawn area is not a parcel record; it is just the ground inside the line you drew.
Why does the bigger parcel always have more relief?
Because it covers more ground. Relief is the difference between the highest and lowest point, and a larger area has more chances to include a ravine or a hilltop. Compare mean slope and the winter sun figures, which do not grow with size, before you read much into relief.
Does the winter sun figure include trees?
No. It is modeled on bare ground for December 21, with shadows from the terrain only. A parcel in a stand of hardwoods or pines will get less sun than the table says. Treat it as how much the shape of the land allows, then look at the aerial basemap for trees.
Does the comparison tell me which parcel to buy?
It tells you how the ground compares. Zoning, access, soils, septic suitability, wells, wetlands, flood hazard and title are outside it. Use it to decide which parcels are worth a visit, then check the public records for the ones that are.
Related guides
- Terrain checks before buying rural land — the full pre-offer pass on one parcel.
- Find the best house site on your land — where on the winning parcel to build.
- Slope maps for building on sloping land — how steep is too steep, and who decides.