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Codington County, South Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 65% of Codington County's mapped land, a higher share than 78% of US counties and the 4th highest of 66 South Dakota counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 11%.

94.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 38 flood losses here since 2016. 53% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

11%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

65%

high water table: limits basements

94%

in drought, October 13, 2026

53%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Codington County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)11.1%
High water table (limits basements)65.3%
Septic fields very limited95.9%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.2%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)11.1%
Mapped soil459,168 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Buse10%n/a
Barnes8%20%
Poinsett8%n/a
Vienna8%n/a
Cubden5%n/a
Waubay4%n/a
Hamlin County: 67%Grant County: 56%Clark County: 65%Deuel County: 71%Day County: 63%Kingsbury County: 50%Brookings County: 67%Roberts County: 60%Codington County HamlinGrantClarkDeuelDayKingsburyBrookingsRobertsCodington
Codington County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas SD029 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

On 65% of Codington County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 18.86 in, 6.04 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 24.90 in.

USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

94.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 7 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 94.2% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse94.2%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

38 flood losses since 2016, $785,672 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 30.

YearFlood losses
20163
20170
20180
201930
20200
20210
20220
20234
20240
20251
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202024.90 in
12 months to August 202618.86 in (-6.04)
202530.76 in (+5.86)
Wettest year since 18952019: 36.41 in
Driest year since 18951976: 10.58 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WATERTOWN RGNL AP (5 mi away)4.1

Homes

Housing units13,533
Median year built1978
Built before 198053%
Built 2000 or later27%
Owner-occupied70%
Median value, owner-occupied$237,700
Single-family detached69%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Hamlin County, SD 20 mi 13% 67%
Grant County, SD 25 mi 26% 56%
Clark County, SD 27 mi 19% 65%
Deuel County, SD 29 mi 13% 71%
Day County, SD 33 mi 19% 63%
Kingsbury County, SD 44 mi 30% 50%
Brookings County, SD 45 mi 10% 67%
Roberts County, SD 47 mi 26% 60%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 10, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status