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Spink County, South Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 56% of Spink County's mapped land, a higher share than 71% of US counties and the 10th highest of 66 South Dakota counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 45%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses here since 2016. 71% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1959.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

45%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

56%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

71%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Spink County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)44.6%
High water table (limits basements)55.8%
Septic fields very limited68.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.8%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)49.2%
Mapped soil965,958 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Aberdeen8%n/a
Great Bend6%n/a
Nahon6%n/a
Harmony6%n/a
Beotia5%n/a
Forman4%n/a
Clark County: 65%Beadle County: 30%Faulk County: 23%Hand County: 16%Brown County: 56%Day County: 63%Edmunds County: 25%Codington County: 65%Spink County ClarkBeadleFaulkHandBrownDayEdmundsCodingtonSpink
Spink 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 SD115 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% 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 45% of the mapped land.

On 56% of Spink 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: 19.54 in, 2.57 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 22.11 in.

USDA rates 69% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 16 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 33.5% of its area, on the July 28, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse89%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

5 flood losses since 2016, $95,028 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 5.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20195
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202022.11 in
12 months to August 202619.54 in (-2.57)
202524.09 in (+1.98)
Wettest year since 18952019: 33.74 in
Driest year since 18951976: 10.97 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MELLETTE 4 W (20 mi away)4.2

Homes

Housing units3,010
Median year built1959
Built before 198071%
Built 2000 or later16%
Owner-occupied73%
Median value, owner-occupied$123,300
Single-family detached79%

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
Clark County, SD 30 mi 19% 65%
Beadle County, SD 35 mi 37% 30%
Faulk County, SD 41 mi 20% 23%
Hand County, SD 42 mi 27% 16%
Brown County, SD 46 mi 28% 56%
Day County, SD 47 mi 19% 63%
Edmunds County, SD 54 mi 22% 25%
Codington County, SD 56 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