South Dakota
flood insurance data
- Residential NFIP policies counted by FEMA fell 37.3% between 2019 (3,440) and 2025 (2,156); the first year, 2019, has the highest count of the 7.
- 2019 alone holds 76.3% of the paid claims (year of loss 2015-2024).
- The median paid claim, $17,037, is 54.3% below the national median of the same years ($37,248), the 16th highest of 51 States and territories.
- With 2,156 residential NFIP policies effective 2025, South Dakota has the 4th fewest of 53 States and territories.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipPolicies (v3, data as of 2026-09-09, retrieved 2026-10-11 and 2026-10-12), NfipClaims (v3, data as of 2026-09-09, retrieved 2026-10-12), DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (v2, data as of 2026-10-11, retrieved 2026-10-12), HousingAssistanceOwners (v2, data as of 2026-10-11, retrieved 2026-10-12), NfipCommunityStatusBook (v1, data as of 2026-10-11, retrieved 2026-10-12); CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items (CUUR0000SA0), annual average (BLS Public Data API v1, annual averages 2005-2025, retrieved 2026-10-12). Not an official federal report.
NFIP premiums in South Dakota
NFIP premiums: what NFIP policyholders paid, not a quote. Across 2,156 policies (policies effective 2025; occupancy: residential (occupancyType 1,2,3,11,12,13,14); amount: FEMA field policyCost), the median is $1,114, and half of them fall between $813 (Q1) and $1,391 (Q3).
The median NFIP premium in South Dakota, $1,114, is 5.6% above the national median ($1,055); it is the 15th highest of 53 States and territories.
| Flood zone group | Policies | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFHA (A, AE, AH, AO, AR, A99, V, VE) | 1,392 | $813 | $1,126 | $1,596 |
| Outside SFHA (X, B, C) | 760 | $822 | $1,087 | $1,204 |
By flood zone
| Flood zone | Policies | Q1 | Median | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AE | 1,087 | $801 | $1,110 | $1,562 |
| X | 760 | $822 | $1,087 | $1,204 |
| A | 256 | $815 | $1,084 | $1,592 |
Policies in force by year
| Year | Policies |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 3,440 |
| 2020 | 3,344 |
| 2021 | 2,700 |
| 2022 | 2,431 |
| 2023 | 2,290 |
| 2024 | 2,248 |
| 2025 | 2,156 |
Base of each count: the yearly figures are FEMA API counts of residential policy terms, every premium included; the median and quartiles rest on the policies effective 2025 with a positive policyCost. For 2025 both bases count 2,156 policies.
NFIP paid building claims in South Dakota
NFIP claims: amounts paid, not repair cost. Window: year of loss 2015-2024; 558 paid claims; median $17,037, half of them between $6,138 (Q1) and $38,032 (Q3), in nominal dollars. Median in 2024 dollars (CPI-U): $20,733, a monetary adjustment, not today’s cost of repair.
With 558 paid claims (year of loss 2015-2024), South Dakota has the 17th fewest of 53 States and territories. Named events weigh little on the paid claims in South Dakota: the largest, June Midwest Flooding, accounts for 10.8% of them.
| Event | Paid claims | Share |
|---|---|---|
| June Midwest Flooding | 60 | 10.8% |
Paid claims by year of loss
| Year of loss | Paid claims |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 36 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 |
| 2019 | 426 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 9 |
| 2024 | 62 |
FEMA disaster declarations
Since 2000: 38 flood, hurricane and severe-storm declarations (DR and EM) covering South Dakota, 38 of them major disaster declarations.
South Dakota counts 38 flood, hurricane and severe-storm declarations (DR and EM) since 2000, the 14th most of 53 States and territories. Severe Storm declarations are the most frequent (29), ahead of Flood (9).
| Incident type | Declarations |
|---|---|
| Flood | 9 |
| Hurricane | 0 |
| Severe Storm | 29 |
Latest declarations
- DR-4941: SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING (Severe Storm, 2026-09-01)
- DR-4938: SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING (Severe Storm, 2026-09-01)
- DR-4890: SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING (Flood, 2025-09-11)
- DR-4842: SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING (Severe Storm, 2024-11-01)
- DR-4807: SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING (Flood, 2024-08-15)
FEMA assistance to homeowners
Since 2002: 11,584 owner registrations inspected by FEMA in South Dakota after disasters of every declared type; inspected damage is FEMA’s assessment for its assistance program, not repair cost.
Of the 11,584 owner registrations FEMA inspected in South Dakota after disasters of every declared type, 1.1% show more than $30,000 of FEMA-inspected damage, against 2.6% nationally. The disaster with the most inspections is DR-1702, SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING (declared 2007-05-22), with 4,056.
| Damage band | Registrations |
|---|---|
| No FEMA-inspected damage | 1,300 |
| $1-$10,000 | 9,612 |
| $10,001-$20,000 | 442 |
| $20,001-$30,000 | 107 |
| More than $30,000 | 123 |
Disasters with the most inspections
- DR-1702, SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING (declared 2007-05-22): 4,056 inspections
- DR-4440, SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND FLOODING (declared 2019-06-07): 1,706 inspections
- DR-4237, SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING (declared 2015-08-07): 1,469 inspections
- DR-4469, SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING (declared 2019-11-18): 1,403 inspections
- DR-1984, FLOODING (declared 2011-05-13): 1,337 inspections
NFIP communities and flood maps
FEMA’s Community Status Book lists 292 NFIP communities in South Dakota: 232 participate in the NFIP and 8 (2.7%) are classed in the Community Rating System (CRS). The best class among the communities counted here is 6 (Sioux Falls, City of): FEMA applies its CRS discount to the full-risk premium of Regular Program NFIP policies in that community, inside or outside the SFHA, not to the whole state; a policy can be excluded if its building does not comply with local floodplain rules. The oldest flood map still in effect in South Dakota dates from 1975-07-18 (ST. Lawrence, City of). 60 of these communities do not participate in the NFIP; 60 carry a sanction, 9 coded as a suspension and 0 as a withdrawal.
| CRS class | Communities |
|---|---|
| 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 |
| 9 | 4 |
Questions about flood insurance in South Dakota
How much is flood insurance in South Dakota?
NFIP policyholders in South Dakota paid a median of $1,114 for residential policies effective 2025 (2,156 policies; FEMA field policyCost: premium, reserve fund assessment, federal policy fee and HFIAA surcharge); half paid between $813 and $1,391; $1,126 inside the Special Flood Hazard Area against $1,087 outside it: what NFIP policyholders paid, not a quote.
How many flood insurance claims has South Dakota had?
558 NFIP building claims were paid (year of loss 2015-2024), with a median of $17,037; the year with the most was 2019 (426), and the named event with the most was June Midwest Flooding (60). These are amounts paid, not repair cost.
Is South Dakota in a flood zone?
Of the residential NFIP policies of South Dakota (policies effective 2025), 1,392 are rated inside the Special Flood Hazard Area and 760 outside it (zones listed: AE, X, A), but these aggregates cannot tell the flood zone of an address: FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center shows it for a given property.
Related tools
NFIP paid claims and premiums are not repair estimates: to estimate the cleanup of a flooded basement from published cost-guide rates, use the basement water damage repair cost calculator; for water removal and drying after any water loss, the water damage and mitigation calculator.
To set these figures against every State on one claims window, amounts paid, not repair cost: NFIP paid building claims by state.
Before using these figures
A state figure mixes very different counties and flood zones. Method and limits.
Source and notice
- Owners assistance: county names not matched to a FIPS code (counted in the State total only): Cheyenne River Indian Reservation (no match, 175 inspected); Lake Traverse (Sisseton) Indian Reservation (no match, 251 inspected); Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation (no match, 1469 inspected)
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).