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Bailey's Prairie, Texas
Inside Bailey's Prairie's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 57% of mapped land, higher than 63% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 13%.
That clay share is below Brazoria County's 64%. FEMA's flood data list 1,165 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77515 overlapping the city. Of its 312 homes, 22% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1987.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Brazoria County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Bailey's Prairie
Foundation repair in Bailey's Prairie: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 57% of Bailey's Prairie's mapped land, more than in 63% of Texas cities.
About 300 of Bailey's Prairie's 312 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Bailey's Prairie city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 56.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 12.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 68.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 11.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 56.9% |
| Mapped soil | 4,591 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Pledger | 23% | n/a |
| Lake Charles | 19% | 97% |
| Asa | 16% | 0% |
| Norwood | 12% | n/a |
| Brazoria | 11% | n/a |
| Bernard | 5% | 43% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 11.8% by land area here, and 57% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 57% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Brazoria County is in drought on the latest map, and 57% of Bailey's Prairie's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 69% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Brazoria County
100% of Brazoria County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Bailey's Prairie. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77515 | 100% | 1,165 | $87.5 million |
Homes in Bailey's Prairie
| Housing units | 312 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 22% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 91% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $396,600 |
| Single-family detached | 98% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Lakes | 4 mi | 38% | 2% |
| Angleton | 5 mi | 64% | 65% |
| Lake Jackson | 7 mi | 67% | 15% |
| Brazoria | 8 mi | 28% | under 1% |
| Richwood | 8 mi | 78% | 6% |
| West Columbia | 9 mi | 35% | 42% |
| Clute | 10 mi | 47% | 28% |
| Danbury | 11 mi | 74% | 69% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status