Bovina, Texas

Inside Bovina's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 50% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 3 cities in Parmer County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.

That clay share is below Parmer County's 61%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79009 overlapping the city. Of its 576 homes, 55% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1972.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Parmer County

50%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

high water table: limits basements

flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP

55%

of homes built before 1980

Foundation repair in Bovina

Foundation repair in Bovina: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 50% of Bovina's mapped land, more than in 57% of Texas cities.

About 400 of Bovina's 576 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 Bovina city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)	50.0%
High water table (limits basements)	0.0%
Septic fields very limited	47.6%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)	4.8%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)	45.0%
Mapped soil	753 acres

Soil series	Share here	Series nationally: expansive clay
Olton	42%	91%
Acuff	39%	1%
Bovina	6%	n/a
Estacado	5%	n/a
Pullman	3%	100%
Friona	3%	n/a

Bovina city limits inside Parmer County, shaded by the city's expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 45% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 50% of the mapped land.

Drought in Parmer County

0% of Parmer County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Flood losses by ZIP code

FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Bovina. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIP	Share of city land	Flood losses	Paid
79009	100%	0	$0

Homes in Bovina

Housing units	576
Median year built	1972
Built before 1980	55%
Built 2000 or later	22%
Owner-occupied	68%
Median value, owner-occupied	$113,700
Single-family detached	77%

Nearby cities

Place	Distance	Expansive clay	High water table
Farwell	12 mi	2%	0%
Friona	13 mi	67%	0%
Muleshoe	22 mi	8%	3%
Dimmitt	33 mi	90%	7%
Earth	33 mi	9%	4%
Hereford	35 mi	78%	1%
Sudan	37 mi	0%	0%
Springlake	38 mi	37%	under 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