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Edmunds County, South Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 25% of Edmunds County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22%.

21.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 67% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1967.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

22%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

25%

high water table: limits basements

21%

in drought, October 13, 2026

67%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Edmunds County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)21.6%
High water table (limits basements)24.9%
Septic fields very limited53.4%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.9%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)29.3%
Mapped soil736,358 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Williams26%0%
Bowbells15%n/a
Tonka9%n/a
Bryant8%n/a
Parnell6%n/a
Zahl4%n/a
Faulk County: 23%McPherson County: 22%Walworth County: 10%Brown County: 56%Potter County: 11%Campbell County: 13%McIntosh County: 12%Spink County: 56%Edmunds County FaulkMcPhersonWalworthBrownPotterCampbellMcIntoshSpinkEdmunds
Edmunds 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 SD045 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 29% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 21.3% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 22% of Edmunds County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

On 25% of Edmunds 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: 18.13 in, 2.64 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 20.77 in.

USDA rates 53% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

21.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 14 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 21.3% of its area, in 11 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 worse99.3%
D1 moderate drought or worse21.3%
D2 severe or worse5.1%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 1.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20190
20201
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202020.77 in
12 months to August 202618.13 in (-2.64)
202522.10 in (+1.33)
Wettest year since 18951915: 28.88 in
Driest year since 18951936: 9.29 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROSCOE (7 mi away)3.8

Homes

Housing units1,898
Median year built1967
Built before 198067%
Built 2000 or later13%
Owner-occupied81%
Median value, owner-occupied$163,300
Single-family detached88%

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
Faulk County, SD 24 mi 20% 23%
McPherson County, SD 29 mi 18% 22%
Walworth County, SD 40 mi 26% 10%
Brown County, SD 43 mi 28% 56%
Potter County, SD 44 mi 25% 11%
Campbell County, SD 46 mi 18% 13%
McIntosh County, ND 49 mi 22% 12%
Spink County, SD 54 mi 45% 56%

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