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Hyde County, South Dakota

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 41% of Hyde County's mapped land, a higher share than 87% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 13%.

46.2% 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. 78% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1960.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

41%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

13%

high water table: limits basements

46%

in drought, October 13, 2026

78%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Hyde County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)41.1%
High water table (limits basements)12.8%
Septic fields very limited92.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)6.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)49.1%
Mapped soil555,142 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Glenham11%n/a
Ethan8%n/a
Prosper6%n/a
Raber6%n/a
Hoven6%n/a
Highmore6%n/a
Hand County: 27%Hughes County: 34%Sully County: 23%Buffalo County: 43%Faulk County: 20%Potter County: 25%Lyman County: 89%Jerauld County: 34%Hyde County HandHughesSullyBuffaloFaulkPotterLymanJerauldHyde
Hyde 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 SD069 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.5% by land area here, and 49% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 41% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 46.2% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 41% of Hyde County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 20.27 in, 0.86 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.13 in.

USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

46.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 27 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 68.3% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the June 2, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse65.3%
D1 moderate drought or worse46.2%
D2 severe or worse1.4%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

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

Rain

Average year, 1991-202021.13 in
12 months to August 202620.27 in (-0.86)
202520.65 in (-0.48)
Wettest year since 18952019: 32.19 in
Driest year since 18951976: 8.23 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HIGHMORE 1 W (1 mi away)5.6

Homes

Housing units617
Median year built1960
Built before 198078%
Built 2000 or later12%
Owner-occupied84%
Median value, owner-occupied$181,600
Single-family detached88%

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
Hand County, SD 23 mi 27% 16%
Hughes County, SD 27 mi 34% 8%
Sully County, SD 35 mi 23% 9%
Buffalo County, SD 37 mi 43% 12%
Faulk County, SD 40 mi 20% 23%
Potter County, SD 43 mi 25% 11%
Lyman County, SD 48 mi 89% 8%
Jerauld County, SD 53 mi 34% 22%

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