HomeSouth DakotaHaakon County

Haakon County, South Dakota

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 89% of Haakon County's mapped land, a higher share than 100% of US counties and the 4th highest of 66 South Dakota counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 6%.

98.3% 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. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1974.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

89%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

6%

high water table: limits basements

98%

in drought, October 13, 2026

56%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Haakon County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)88.6%
High water table (limits basements)6.4%
Septic fields very limited94.0%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)9.6%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)87.5%
Mapped soil1,168,224 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Ottumwa19%n/a
Lakoma17%n/a
Samsil6%n/a
Kirley5%n/a
Pierre5%n/a
Ree4%n/a
Stanley County: 89%Jackson County: 45%Jones County: 94%Ziebach County: 59%Meade County: 49%Mellette County: 61%Pennington County: 52%Dewey County: 70%Haakon County StanleyJacksonJonesZiebachMeadeMellettePenningtonDeweyHaakon
Haakon County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas SD055 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 9.6% by land area here, and 88% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 89% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 98.3% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 89% of Haakon County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 16.99 in, 1.25 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.24 in.

USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

98.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 25 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 99.8% of its area, in 4 weeks, most recently on the August 18, 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 worse98.3%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

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

Rain

Average year, 1991-202018.24 in
12 months to August 202616.99 in (-1.25)
202523.22 in (+4.98)
Wettest year since 18951915: 32.60 in
Driest year since 18951936: 6.92 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MILESVILLE 5 NE (16 mi away)3.8

Homes

Housing units895
Median year built1974
Built before 198056%
Built 2000 or later18%
Owner-occupied79%
Median value, owner-occupied$164,200
Single-family detached76%

What repairs cost

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

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Stanley County, SD 40 mi 89% 6%
Jackson County, SD 42 mi 45% 2%
Jones County, SD 48 mi 94% 7%
Ziebach County, SD 49 mi 59% 2%
Meade County, SD 62 mi 49% 1%
Mellette County, SD 63 mi 61% 3%
Pennington County, SD 67 mi 52% 1%
Dewey County, SD 69 mi 70% 4%

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