HomeSouth DakotaLawrence County

Lawrence County, South Dakota

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22% of Lawrence County's mapped land, a higher share than 72% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.

100% 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. 42% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

22%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

1%

high water table: limits basements

100%

in drought, October 13, 2026

42%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Lawrence County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)21.7%
High water table (limits basements)1.1%
Septic fields very limited88.0%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.1%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)23.6%
Mapped soil512,224 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Vanocker8%n/a
Pactola7%n/a
Stovho6%n/a
Trebor5%n/a
Grizzly5%n/a
Citadel5%n/a
Butte County: 72%Crook County: 46%Custer County: 17%Weston County: 27%Pennington County: 52%Meade County: 49%Fall River County: 55%Campbell County: 22%Lawrence County ButteCrookCusterWestonPenningtonMeadeFall RiverCampbellLawrence
Lawrence 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 SD081 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% 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 22% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 22% of Lawrence County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 18.30 in, 7.07 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 25.37 in.

USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 22 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 worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse100%
D2 severe or worse32.9%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

2 flood losses since 2016, $11,786 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, 1991-202025.37 in
12 months to August 202618.30 in (-7.07)
202528.13 in (+2.76)
Wettest year since 18951946: 38.13 in
Driest year since 18951936: 13.51 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LEAD (3 mi away)4.8

Homes

Housing units14,840
Median year built1987
Built before 198042%
Built 2000 or later36%
Owner-occupied65%
Median value, owner-occupied$346,500
Single-family detached65%

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
Butte County, SD 41 mi 72% 6%
Crook County, WY 41 mi 46% under 1%
Custer County, SD 49 mi 17% 1%
Weston County, WY 51 mi 27% 1%
Pennington County, SD 54 mi 52% 1%
Meade County, SD 57 mi 49% 1%
Fall River County, SD 79 mi 55% 1%
Campbell County, WY 86 mi 22% 1%

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