HomeSouth DakotaDeuel County

Deuel County, South Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 71% of Deuel County's mapped land, a higher share than 82% of US counties and the highest of 66 South Dakota counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 13%.

33.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 64% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1971.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

13%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

71%

high water table: limits basements

34%

in drought, October 13, 2026

64%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Deuel County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)12.6%
High water table (limits basements)71.1%
Septic fields very limited97.2%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.4%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)12.6%
Mapped soil407,188 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Barnes13%20%
Buse9%n/a
Kranzburg9%n/a
Vienna6%n/a
Svea5%n/a
Brookings5%n/a
Hamlin County: 67%Brookings County: 67%Codington County: 65%Grant County: 56%Lac qui Parle County: 74%Lincoln County: 83%Yellow Medicine County: 87%Lyon County: 87%Deuel County HamlinBrookingsCodingtonGrantLac qui ParleLincolnYellow MedicineLyonDeuel
Deuel 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 SD039 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

On 71% of Deuel 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: 20.02 in, 6.69 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 26.71 in.

USDA rates 97% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

33.5% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 29 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 91.5% of its area, on the April 21, 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 worse33.5%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Deuel County since 2016.

Rain

Average year, 1991-202026.71 in
12 months to August 202620.02 in (-6.69)
202532.89 in (+6.18)
Wettest year since 18952019: 37.16 in
Driest year since 18951976: 10.66 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLEAR LAKE (0 mi away)5.6

Homes

Housing units2,155
Median year built1971
Built before 198064%
Built 2000 or later16%
Owner-occupied83%
Median value, owner-occupied$205,900
Single-family detached86%

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 25 mi 13% 67%
Brookings County, SD 27 mi 10% 67%
Codington County, SD 29 mi 11% 65%
Grant County, SD 29 mi 26% 56%
Lac qui Parle County, MN 30 mi 9% 74%
Lincoln County, MN 32 mi 13% 83%
Yellow Medicine County, MN 41 mi 9% 87%
Lyon County, MN 48 mi 10% 87%

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