Blum, Texas
Inside Blum's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%, the 5th-highest of 14 cities in Hill County.
That clay share is below Hill County's 53%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76627 overlapping the city. Of its 153 homes, 42% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1987.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hill 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 Blum
Foundation repair in Blum: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 22% of Blum's mapped land.
About 100 of Blum's 153 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 Blum city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 69.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.4% |
| Mapped soil | 645 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Bolar | 18% | n/a |
| Venus | 14% | n/a |
| Aledo | 11% | n/a |
| Krum | 10% | n/a |
| Tinn | 10% | n/a |
| Somervell | 7% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.2% by land area here, and 22% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Hill County is in drought on the latest map, and 22% of Blum's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 69% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hill County
100% of Hill 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 Blum. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76627 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Blum
| Housing units | 153 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 89% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $68,500 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
Nearby cities
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