Abilene, Texas
Inside Abilene's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 56% of mapped land, higher than 62% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is above Taylor County's 45%. FEMA's flood data list 40 flood losses since 2016 in the 7 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 53,156 homes, 56% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1975.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Taylor County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 7 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Abilene city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 56.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | under 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 33.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 7.7% |
| Mapped soil | 71,721 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sagerton | 18% | 88% |
| Tobosa | 11% | n/a |
| Hamby | 5% | n/a |
| Clairemont | 5% | n/a |
| Mangum | 4% | n/a |
| Vernon | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.1% by land area here, and 33% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 56% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Taylor County is in drought on the latest map, and 56% of Abilene's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Taylor County
100% of Taylor County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Abilene. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79601 | 35% | 14 | $205,551 |
| 79602 | 23% | 2 | $11,702 |
| 79606 | 14% | 4 | $74,323 |
| 79603 | 10% | 7 | $15,409 |
| 79605 | 10% | 13 | $35,745 |
| 79607 | 8% | 0 | $0 |
| 79699 | under 1% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Abilene
| Housing units | 53,156 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 56% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $183,700 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impact | 3 mi | 57% | 0% |
| Tye | 8 mi | 80% | under 1% |
| Hawley | 11 mi | 24% | 3% |
| Buffalo Gap | 13 mi | 30% | 0% |
| Clyde | 14 mi | 87% | 2% |
| Merkel | 16 mi | 77% | under 1% |
| Tuscola | 17 mi | 79% | under 1% |
| Baird | 20 mi | 59% | 0% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status