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Ballinger, Texas
Inside Ballinger's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 12% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 3 cities in Runnels County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is below Runnels County's 42%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76821 overlapping the city. Of its 1,781 homes, 86% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1956.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Runnels 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 Ballinger
Foundation repair in Ballinger: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 12% of Ballinger's mapped land.
About 1,600 of Ballinger's 1,781 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 Ballinger city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 12.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 53.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.2% |
| Mapped soil | 2,235 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Quanah | 28% | n/a |
| Mereta | 17% | n/a |
| Spur | 11% | n/a |
| Miles | 9% | 0% |
| Kavett | 5% | n/a |
| Talpa | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 54% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 12% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Ballinger; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Runnels County
100% of Runnels 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 Ballinger. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76821 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Ballinger
| Housing units | 1,781 |
| Median year built | 1956 |
| Built before 1980 | 86% |
| Built 2000 or later | 3% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $109,400 |
| Single-family detached | 90% |
Nearby cities
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