Archer County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 36% of Archer County's mapped land, a higher share than 85% of US counties. 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 4 flood losses here since 2016. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.
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 Archer County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 36.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 92.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 46.1% |
| Mapped soil | 592,710 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX009 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 46% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 36% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 36% of Archer County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 20.46 in, 9.58 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 30.04 in.
USDA rates 92% 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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 9 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 | 98.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 54.2% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4 flood losses since 2016, $124,032 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 30.04 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 20.46 in (-9.58) |
| 2025 | 31.63 in (+1.59) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 50.48 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1952: 15.27 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ANTELOPE (22 mi away) | 10.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,966 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 85% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $189,100 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Archer County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archer City | 24% | 0% | 689 |
| Holliday | 41% | under 1% | 681 |
| Lakeside City | 51% | 0% | 411 |
| Megargel | 53% | 0% | 143 |
| Scotland | 26% | under 1% | 224 |
| Windthorst | 56% | under 1% | 185 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita County, TX | 26 mi | 43% | under 1% |
| Clay County, TX | 30 mi | 23% | 2% |
| Baylor County, TX | 30 mi | 54% | under 1% |
| Young County, TX | 32 mi | 27% | under 1% |
| Jack County, TX | 40 mi | 17% | 1% |
| Throckmorton County, TX | 43 mi | 49% | under 1% |
| Wilbarger County, TX | 45 mi | 41% | under 1% |
| Cotton County, OK | 50 mi | 54% | 4% |
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