Texas County, Oklahoma
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30% of Texas County's mapped land, a higher share than 81% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
61% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 67.2% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses here since 2016. 57% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Texas County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 44.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.1% |
| Mapped soil | 1,310,918 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Gruver | 26% | n/a |
| Ulysses | 12% | n/a |
| Dalhart | 11% | n/a |
| Conlen | 7% | n/a |
| Sherm | 7% | 95% |
| Potter | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OK139 (2025-08-29)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.8% by land area here, and 6% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 61% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 30% of Texas County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 11.87 in, 6.30 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.17 in.
Drought
61% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 61% |
| D2 severe or worse | 47% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 7.9% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
3 flood losses since 2016, $125,348 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 3.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.17 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 11.87 in (-6.30) |
| 2025 | 18.65 in (+0.48) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 30.87 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 9.31 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GOODWELL RSCH STN (13 mi away) | 4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 8,461 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 57% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $163,500 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevens County, KS | 33 mi | 6% | 1% |
| Hansford County, TX | 33 mi | 55% | 2% |
| Morton County, KS | 35 mi | 2% | 1% |
| Sherman County, TX | 40 mi | 40% | 2% |
| Seward County, KS | 46 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Ochiltree County, TX | 49 mi | 70% | 5% |
| Beaver County, OK | 55 mi | 6% | 7% |
| Grant County, KS | 56 mi | 2% | 2% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 29, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status