CanningDates › Altitude › South Dakota › Pierre
Canning at about 1,720 ft in Pierre
Pierre sits at about 1,720 ft, where water boils a little cooler than the recipes assume. Add 5 minutes to any water-bath time, set a dial gauge to 11 lb, and a weighted gauge to 15 lb — the label below is the whole answer.
PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA
- ELEVATION
- ≈1,720 FT
- WATER BATH
- +5 MIN
- DIAL GAUGE
- 11 LB
- WEIGHTED
- 15 LB
Adjustments use the 1,001–3,000 ft band, so small elevation differences nearby rarely change your numbers.
canningdates.com
canningdates.com — Pierre, SD at about 1,720 ft, from the published USDA adjustment bands. Low-acid foods must be pressure canned.
Pierre at about 1,720 ft
Pierre cans from the middle of everything: mid-state, mid-band, about 1,720 ft on the Missouri's terraces. The 1,001–3,000 ft band covers the capital with hundreds of feet to spare in both directions, so five added minutes is the settled answer.
Adjustments come in bands, not curves. The whole 1,001–3,000 ft band gets the same 5 added minutes and the same 11 lb dial setting, so the difference between your kitchen and about 1,720 ft almost never matters. Live near the top of the band and unsure which side you're on? Use the higher band — a little extra processing costs texture; too little costs safety.
As for the number itself: Pierre's elevation was checked against the USGS elevation service, starting from the NOAA weather-station inventory (PIERRE RGNL AP). Elevation shifts block to block in any town, but the bands are wide on purpose — a station a few miles out almost never changes the row.
Not your kitchen? The altitude lookup turns any ZIP or town into a card like this one. Recipe already in hand? The processing time adjuster takes your recipe's minutes and applies Pierre's band for you.
Frequently asked questions
How many minutes do I add to a water-bath recipe in Pierre?
Add 5. Pierre sits at about 1,720 ft, in the 1,001–3,000 ft band, so whatever process time your tested recipe gives for the lowest band, add 5 minutes to it and hold a full boil for the whole time.
What pressure do I set in Pierre?
11 lb on a dial gauge, 15 lb on a weighted gauge. Weighted gauges come in fixed steps, which is why the weighted number sits higher than the dial's — both reach the tested temperature inside the canner at Pierre's elevation.
My kitchen isn't at exactly about 1,720 ft — do my numbers change?
Almost certainly not. The whole 1,001–3,000 ft band shares one answer, so block-to-block differences around Pierre are already priced in. The only case worth a thought is a home near the band's edge — then use the higher band's numbers, which err on the safe side.
Do pressure-canning times change with altitude too?
No — this is the part canners like. A pressure canner restores the tested temperature by raising pressure, so the minutes stay exactly as the recipe states them. In Pierre that means the right pounds — 11 on the dial, 15 weighted — and the printed time, unchanged.