Andrews County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 2% of Andrews County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Andrews County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 36.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.8% |
| Mapped soil | 960,614 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Triomas | 23% | n/a |
| Jalmar | 20% | n/a |
| Penwell | 15% | n/a |
| Faskin | 10% | n/a |
| Kimbrough | 6% | n/a |
| Wickett | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX003 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 9.70 in, 4.58 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 14.28 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Andrews County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 23 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 4.4% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Andrews County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 14.28 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 9.70 in (-4.58) |
| 2025 | 8.93 in (-5.35) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 30.86 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 3.83 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SEMINOLE (28 mi away) | 4.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,153 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $195,700 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Andrews County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrews | 0% | 0% | 5,138 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaines County, TX | 30 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Ector County, TX | 31 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Winkler County, TX | 39 mi | 0% | 0% |
| Martin County, TX | 40 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Dawson County, TX | 50 mi | 4% | 2% |
| Midland County, TX | 51 mi | 3% | 1% |
| Loving County, TX | 56 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Lea County, NM | 56 mi | 4% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status