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Lincoln County, South Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 51% of Lincoln County's mapped land, a higher share than 67% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 28%.

4.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 13 flood losses here since 2016. 18% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2005.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

28%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

51%

high water table: limits basements

4%

in drought, October 13, 2026

18%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Lincoln County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)28.2%
High water table (limits basements)50.5%
Septic fields very limited73.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.4%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)28.1%
Mapped soil369,952 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Wentworth22%n/a
Chancellor17%n/a
Egan13%n/a
Moody6%0%
Tetonka6%n/a
Viborg4%n/a
Turner County: 39%Lyon County: 37%Minnehaha County: 32%Clay County: 53%Sioux County: 35%Union County: 42%Rock County: 54%Yankton County: 30%Lincoln County TurnerLyonMinnehahaClaySiouxUnionRockYanktonLincoln
Lincoln 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 SD083 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.4% by land area here, and 28% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 28% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 4.3% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 28% of Lincoln County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

On 51% of Lincoln 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: 20.27 in, 8.28 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 28.55 in.

USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

4.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 40 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse43.8%
D1 moderate drought or worse4.3%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

13 flood losses since 2016, $671,169 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 9.

YearFlood losses
20161
20170
20182
20191
20200
20210
20220
20230
20249
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202028.55 in
12 months to August 202620.27 in (-8.28)
202523.88 in (-4.67)
Wettest year since 18952018: 42.67 in
Driest year since 18951976: 12.96 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CENTERVILLE 6 SE (19 mi away)5.6

Homes

Housing units28,710
Median year built2005
Built before 198018%
Built 2000 or later64%
Owner-occupied71%
Median value, owner-occupied$348,300
Single-family detached61%

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
Turner County, SD 22 mi 20% 39%
Lyon County, IA 27 mi 18% 37%
Minnehaha County, SD 27 mi 17% 32%
Clay County, SD 28 mi 29% 53%
Sioux County, IA 31 mi 26% 35%
Union County, SD 31 mi 33% 42%
Rock County, MN 35 mi 24% 54%
Yankton County, SD 39 mi 21% 30%

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