Bell County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 55% of Bell County's mapped land, a higher share than 93% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
99.7% of the county is in drought on the November 3, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 95 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 28% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1996.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, November 3, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Bell County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 54.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 76.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 53.3% |
| Mapped soil | 695,347 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Black | 11% | 91% |
| Heiden | 8% | 80% |
| Purves | 7% | 40% |
| Austin | 5% | 93% |
| Denton | 5% | n/a |
| Eckrant | 5% | 8% |
How we count · survey areas TX027 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.5% by land area here, and 53% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 55% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 99.7% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 55% of Bell County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.15 in, 4.40 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.55 in.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
99.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 10 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, November 3, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 99.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 72.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
95 flood losses since 2016, $1.9 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 28. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 94% slabs, 4% crawl spaces. Median water depth outside the building: 4 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 16 |
| 2017 | 22 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 28 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 35.55 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.15 in (-4.40) |
| 2025 | 34.29 in (-1.26) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2004: 52.76 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 14.28 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at STILLHOUSE HOLLOW DAM (3 mi away) | 11.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 155,018 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 28% |
| Built 2000 or later | 44% |
| Owner-occupied | 56% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $241,000 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Bell County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belton | 46% | under 1% | 8,895 |
| Harker Heights | 44% | under 1% | 13,168 |
| Holland | 80% | under 1% | 528 |
| Killeen | 47% | under 1% | 65,793 |
| Little River-Academy | 68% | 16% | 859 |
| Morgan's Point Resort | 5% | 0% | 1,968 |
| Nolanville | 64% | under 1% | 2,833 |
| Rogers | 81% | under 1% | 464 |
| Salado | 46% | under 1% | 1,061 |
| Temple | 51% | under 1% | 37,299 |
| Troy | 56% | under 1% | 1,001 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williamson County, TX | 28 mi | 60% | 1% |
| Coryell County, TX | 31 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| Milam County, TX | 34 mi | 61% | 12% |
| Falls County, TX | 36 mi | 72% | 2% |
| McLennan County, TX | 39 mi | 56% | under 1% |
| Burnet County, TX | 46 mi | 27% | 0% |
| Lampasas County, TX | 46 mi | 20% | under 1% |
| Travis County, TX | 57 mi | 39% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status