Bandera County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17% of Bandera County's mapped land, a higher share than 67% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 18 flood losses here since 2016. 22% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1997.
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 Bandera County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 17.5% |
| Mapped soil | 510,259 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Eckrant | 26% | 8% |
| Kerrville | 17% | n/a |
| Pratley | 6% | n/a |
| Krum | 5% | n/a |
| Doss | 4% | n/a |
| Oakalla | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX019 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 17% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 17% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 2% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 17% of Bandera County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 32.96 in, 1.67 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 31.29 in.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 36 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 23 weeks, most recently on the April 14, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
18 flood losses since 2016, $902,286 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 11.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.29 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.96 in (+1.67) |
| 2025 | 28.61 in (-2.68) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 54.26 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 11.94 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at VANDERPOOL 4N (20 mi away) | 9.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 11,585 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 22% |
| Built 2000 or later | 45% |
| Owner-occupied | 86% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $278,400 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Bandera County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandera | 56% | 0% | 367 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerr County, TX | 22 mi | 33% | under 1% |
| Medina County, TX | 29 mi | 33% | under 1% |
| Real County, TX | 34 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Kendall County, TX | 35 mi | 23% | 0% |
| Uvalde County, TX | 42 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Gillespie County, TX | 43 mi | 23% | 0% |
| Bexar County, TX | 48 mi | 51% | under 1% |
| Kimble County, TX | 58 mi | 6% | 0% |
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