HomeSouth DakotaKingsbury County

Kingsbury County, South Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 50% of Kingsbury County's mapped land, a higher share than 66% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30%.

11.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 64% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1967.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

30%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

50%

high water table: limits basements

12%

in drought, October 13, 2026

64%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Kingsbury County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)30.4%
High water table (limits basements)50.0%
Septic fields very limited90.2%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.9%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)30.5%
Mapped soil553,005 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Poinsett14%n/a
Buse8%n/a
Waubay7%n/a
Clarno7%0%
Stickney7%n/a
Houdek7%n/a
Miner County: 28%Hamlin County: 67%Lake County: 27%Brookings County: 67%Clark County: 65%Sanborn County: 40%Beadle County: 30%Codington County: 65%Kingsbury County MinerHamlinLakeBrookingsClarkSanbornBeadleCodingtonKingsbury
Kingsbury 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 SD077 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 31% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 11.6% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 30% of Kingsbury County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

On 50% of Kingsbury 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: 20.04 in, 5.20 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 25.24 in.

USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

11.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 weeks, most recently on the June 23, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse62%
D1 moderate drought or worse11.6%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

2 flood losses since 2016, $17,287 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20192
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202025.24 in
12 months to August 202620.04 in (-5.20)
202528.11 in (+2.87)
Wettest year since 18952019: 40.70 in
Driest year since 18951976: 11.54 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DE SMET (3 mi away)5.8

Homes

Housing units2,663
Median year built1967
Built before 198064%
Built 2000 or later21%
Owner-occupied82%
Median value, owner-occupied$169,500
Single-family detached84%

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
Miner County, SD 24 mi 41% 28%
Hamlin County, SD 27 mi 13% 67%
Lake County, SD 30 mi 30% 27%
Brookings County, SD 35 mi 10% 67%
Clark County, SD 36 mi 19% 65%
Sanborn County, SD 38 mi 28% 40%
Beadle County, SD 39 mi 37% 30%
Codington County, SD 44 mi 11% 65%

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