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Faulk County, South Dakota
A shallow water table limits basements on 23% of Faulk County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20%.
75.2% 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. 75% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1964.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Faulk County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 20.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 22.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 52.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 24.3% |
| Mapped soil | 643,884 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Williams | 30% | 0% |
| Bowbells | 15% | n/a |
| Tonka | 8% | n/a |
| Zahl | 5% | n/a |
| Max | 5% | n/a |
| Parnell | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas SD049 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 24% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 75.2% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 20% of Faulk County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 23% of Faulk 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: 18.92 in, 2.16 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.08 in.
USDA rates 52% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
75.2% 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 90.1% of its area, on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 75.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 20.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Faulk County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 21.08 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 18.92 in (-2.16) |
| 2025 | 22.25 in (+1.17) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2019: 30.36 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1976: 9.49 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FAULKTON 1 NW (2 mi away) | 4.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,085 |
| Median year built | 1964 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $147,500 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmunds County, SD | 24 mi | 22% | 25% |
| Hand County, SD | 37 mi | 27% | 16% |
| Potter County, SD | 39 mi | 25% | 11% |
| Hyde County, SD | 40 mi | 41% | 13% |
| Spink County, SD | 41 mi | 45% | 56% |
| Walworth County, SD | 49 mi | 26% | 10% |
| McPherson County, SD | 53 mi | 18% | 22% |
| Brown County, SD | 53 mi | 28% | 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