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Beaumont, Texas
Inside Beaumont's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 28% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 28%.
That clay share is below Jefferson County's 56%. USDA doesn't rate the 58% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 4,459 flood losses since 2016 in the 8 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 52,439 homes, 53% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1978.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Jefferson County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 8 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Beaumont city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 28.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 28.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 37.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 28.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 58.0% |
| Mapped soil | 54,360 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| League | 8% | 92% |
| Beaumont | 5% | n/a |
| Simelake | 4% | n/a |
| Morey | 4% | n/a |
| Cowmarsh | 3% | n/a |
| Vamont | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.1% by land area here, and 28% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 28% of the mapped land.
On 28% of Beaumont's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Drought in Jefferson County
0.7% of Jefferson County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Beaumont. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77705 | 24% | 1,899 | $175.9 million |
| 77707 | 15% | 657 | $47.1 million |
| 77708 | 14% | 146 | $11.8 million |
| 77713 | 14% | 891 | $130.4 million |
| 77706 | 12% | 440 | $18.8 million |
| 77703 | 11% | 119 | $5.0 million |
| 77701 | 8% | 248 | $14.4 million |
| 77702 | 2% | 59 | $5.9 million |
Homes in Beaumont
| Housing units | 52,439 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $166,400 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose City | 6 mi | 18% | 42% |
| Rose Hill Acres | 8 mi | 82% | 16% |
| Bevil Oaks | 9 mi | 25% | 80% |
| Pine Forest | 9 mi | 41% | 55% |
| Vidor | 10 mi | 38% | 52% |
| China | 12 mi | 50% | 51% |
| Nederland | 12 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Lumberton | 12 mi | 0% | 57% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status