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Big Spring, Texas
Inside Big Spring's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 7% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 3 cities in Howard County. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%, the highest of 3 cities in Howard County.
That clay share is below Howard County's 24%. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 10,462 homes, 80% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1963.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Howard County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Big Spring
Foundation repair in Big Spring: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 7% of Big Spring's mapped land.
About 8,100 of Big Spring's 10,462 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 Big Spring city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 54.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.2% |
| Mapped soil | 12,307 acres |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 55% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Big Spring; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Howard County
100% of Howard 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 Big Spring. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79720 | over 99% | 8 | $332,560 |
| 79721 | under 1% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Big Spring
| Housing units | 10,462 |
| Median year built | 1963 |
| Built before 1980 | 80% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $140,200 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coahoma | 11 mi | 1% | under 1% |
| Forsan | 11 mi | 11% | 0% |
| Stanton | 19 mi | 3% | 4% |
| Ackerly | 24 mi | 3% | 0% |
| Westbrook | 29 mi | 11% | 0% |
| Colorado City | 38 mi | 5% | under 1% |
| Midland | 40 mi | 5% | 2% |
| Sterling City | 40 mi | 60% | 0% |
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