Angelina County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27% of Angelina County's mapped land, a higher share than 78% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 44%.
89.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 84.3% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 48 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1986.
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 Angelina County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 27.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 44.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 33.8% |
| Mapped soil | 553,619 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Fuller | 9% | 1% |
| Alazan | 8% | n/a |
| Rosenwall | 7% | n/a |
| Keltys | 7% | n/a |
| Koury | 6% | n/a |
| Moswell | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX005 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 34% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 89.8% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 27% of Angelina County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 44% of Angelina County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 32.34 in, 20.14 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 52.48 in.
USDA rates 75% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
89.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 27 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 | 89.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
48 flood losses since 2016, $1.6 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 17. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 92% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 3% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 17 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 52.48 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.34 in (-20.14) |
| 2025 | 48.16 in (-4.32) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2024: 76.44 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2010: 28.67 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LUFKIN ANGELINA CO AP (9 mi away) | 16 |
Homes
| Housing units | 37,023 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 40% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $163,500 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Angelina County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nacogdoches County, TX | 25 mi | 13% | 28% |
| San Augustine County, TX | 28 mi | 20% | 28% |
| Trinity County, TX | 34 mi | 13% | 74% |
| Polk County, TX | 35 mi | 23% | 45% |
| Tyler County, TX | 36 mi | 18% | 34% |
| Sabine County, TX | 45 mi | 31% | 26% |
| Shelby County, TX | 46 mi | 40% | 39% |
| Houston County, TX | 48 mi | 23% | 50% |
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