Research · updated 2026-08-23 · download the county-level CSV
South Dakota Well Depth & Drilling Cost Index
Drilling a private water well in South Dakota means paying by the foot — so the two questions every well owner asks are how deep and how much. We computed both for all 66 counties with enough records to be reliable, from 56,772 official SD DANR well records.
Statewide, the median well reaches 173 ft, and a complete system — drilling, casing, pump, pressure tank, and hookup — typically runs $9,600–$16,000. But the county spread is large:
Deepest counties to drill in South Dakota
| County | Median depth | Typical depth range | Complete system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jones | 2,005 ft | 40 ft–2,395 ft | $10,080–$16,800 |
| Stanley | 1,249 ft | 41 ft–2,208 ft | $3,720–$6,200 |
| Lyman | 1,203 ft | 975 ft–1,438 ft | $68,400–$114,000 |
| Edmunds | 1,200 ft | 203 ft–1,367 ft | $25,200–$42,000 |
| Faulk | 1,115 ft | 979 ft–1,285 ft | $70,800–$118,000 |
Most expensive counties to drill in South Dakota
| County | Complete system | Drilling & casing only | Median depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faulk | $70,800–$118,000 | $29,500–$76,700 | 1,115 ft |
| Lyman | $68,400–$114,000 | $28,500–$74,100 | 1,203 ft |
| Brule | $55,200–$92,000 | $23,000–$59,800 | 900 ft |
| Haakon | $48,240–$80,400 | $20,100–$52,260 | 56 ft |
| Hyde | $47,040–$78,400 | $19,600–$50,960 | 285 ft |
Download the full county table (CSV)
How to read this
- Depth is measured; cost is modeled. Depths are the median of recorded drilled depths per county. Cost applies published South Dakota per-foot drilling rates to that local median depth — a planning estimate, not a quote. Actual bids vary with geology, casing, site access, and water depth.
- Counties below 30 records are excluded so a thin sample can't produce a misleading superlative.
- Records are drilling events from the state database, which include some replacement and abandoned wells; deeper counties reflect real local geology (bedrock, aquifer depth).
Sources & methodology
- South Dakota well records: SD DANR (refreshed weekly; see our general methodology).
- Percentiles (p25/median/p75) computed per county; cost from published per-foot rate ranges applied to the local median depth.
The county table is free to use with attribution to South Dakota Well Data (southdakotawelldata.com). For a specific county, a custom cut, or the underlying records, email — usually same-day.
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