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Bay City, Texas
Inside Bay City's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 88% of mapped land, higher than 96% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 29%.
That clay share is above Matagorda County's 62%. FEMA's flood data list 379 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77414 overlapping the city. Of its 8,200 homes, 52% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1979.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Matagorda 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 Bay City
Foundation repair in Bay City: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 88% of Bay City's mapped land, more than in 96% of Texas cities.
About 4,400 of Bay City's 8,200 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 Bay City city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 88.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 28.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 88.2% |
| Mapped soil | 5,943 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Dacosta | 46% | n/a |
| Edna | 24% | n/a |
| Laewest | 13% | 94% |
| Texana | 10% | n/a |
| Cieno | 2% | n/a |
| Telferner | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.0% by land area here, and 88% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 88% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Matagorda County is in drought on the latest map, and 88% of Bay City's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 29% of Bay City's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Matagorda County
100% of Matagorda 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 Bay City. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77414 | 100% | 379 | $7.5 million |
Homes in Bay City
| Housing units | 8,200 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 46% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $160,800 |
| Single-family detached | 54% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweeny | 16 mi | 36% | 2% |
| West Columbia | 22 mi | 35% | 42% |
| El Campo | 24 mi | 86% | 32% |
| Brazoria | 24 mi | 28% | under 1% |
| Wharton | 25 mi | 47% | 8% |
| Palacios | 25 mi | 77% | 69% |
| Needville | 29 mi | 81% | 95% |
| Jones Creek | 30 mi | 5% | 1% |
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