HomeSouth DakotaTurner County

Turner County, South Dakota

A shallow water table limits basements on 39% of Turner County's mapped land, a higher share than 57% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20%.

83.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 14 flood losses here since 2016. 69% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1962.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

20%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

39%

high water table: limits basements

83%

in drought, October 13, 2026

69%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Turner County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)20.0%
High water table (limits basements)39.2%
Septic fields very limited97.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.7%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)20.3%
Mapped soil395,104 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Egan19%n/a
Clarno15%0%
Ethan8%n/a
Wentworth7%n/a
Chancellor5%n/a
Trent5%n/a
Lincoln County: 51%Yankton County: 30%McCook County: 33%Clay County: 53%Hutchinson County: 25%Minnehaha County: 32%Hanson County: 25%Union County: 42%Turner County LincolnYanktonMcCookClayHutchinsonMinnehahaHansonUnionTurner
Turner 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 SD125 (2025-09-10)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 20% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 83.2% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 20% of Turner County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

On 39% of Turner 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: 18.25 in, 8.92 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 27.17 in.

USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

83.2% 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 43 weeks, most recently on the September 8, 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 worse83.2%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

14 flood losses since 2016, $977,658 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 8.

YearFlood losses
20160
20170
20180
20196
20200
20210
20220
20230
20248
20250
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202027.17 in
12 months to August 202618.25 in (-8.92)
202525.41 in (-1.76)
Wettest year since 18951944: 40.38 in
Driest year since 18951976: 14.39 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MARION (9 mi away)5.4

Homes

Housing units3,913
Median year built1962
Built before 198069%
Built 2000 or later18%
Owner-occupied79%
Median value, owner-occupied$222,900
Single-family detached85%

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
Lincoln County, SD 22 mi 28% 51%
Yankton County, SD 24 mi 21% 30%
McCook County, SD 28 mi 26% 33%
Clay County, SD 28 mi 29% 53%
Hutchinson County, SD 30 mi 21% 25%
Minnehaha County, SD 31 mi 17% 32%
Hanson County, SD 41 mi 21% 25%
Union County, SD 42 mi 33% 42%

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