Aransas County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18% of Aransas County's mapped land, a higher share than 67% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 35%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2,800 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 24% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1998.
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 Aransas County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 18.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 35.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 50.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 18.0% |
| Mapped soil | 294,119 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Mustang | 11% | n/a |
| Galveston | 10% | n/a |
| Narta | 5% | n/a |
| Tatton | 4% | n/a |
| Dianola | 4% | n/a |
| Victine | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX620 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.9% by land area here, and 18% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 18% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Aransas County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 35% of Aransas 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: 35.00 in, 1.14 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 36.14 in.
USDA rates 50% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 37 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 12.1% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2,800 flood losses since 2016, $57.8 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 2,499. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 70% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 27% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 34 |
| 2017 | 2,499 |
| 2018 | 37 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 20 |
| 2021 | 152 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 45 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 7 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 36.14 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.00 in (-1.14) |
| 2025 | 28.50 in (-7.64) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1960: 55.60 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 9.65 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROCKPORT (9 mi away) | 10.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 15,999 |
| Median year built | 1998 |
| Built before 1980 | 24% |
| Built 2000 or later | 48% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $265,400 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Aransas County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refugio County, TX | 18 mi | 54% | 15% |
| Calhoun County, TX | 32 mi | 33% | 31% |
| San Patricio County, TX | 34 mi | 58% | 14% |
| Nueces County, TX | 43 mi | 56% | 9% |
| Victoria County, TX | 47 mi | 65% | 35% |
| Goliad County, TX | 47 mi | 24% | 21% |
| Bee County, TX | 51 mi | 25% | 11% |
| Jackson County, TX | 62 mi | 67% | 24% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status