Bowie County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 32% of Bowie County's mapped land, a higher share than 82% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 60%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 54 flood losses here since 2016, 3% of them in buildings with basements. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Bowie County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 31.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 60.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 48.9% |
| Mapped soil | 590,503 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sawyer | 17% | n/a |
| Adaton | 7% | n/a |
| Eylau | 6% | n/a |
| Woodtell | 6% | 96% |
| Wrightsville | 6% | n/a |
| Annona | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX037 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.4% by land area here, and 49% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 32% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 32% of Bowie County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 60% of Bowie County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 38.68 in, 12.14 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 50.82 in.
USDA rates 75% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 100% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
54 flood losses since 2016, $1.9 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 20. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 3% basements, 94% slabs, 3% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 11.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 20 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 10 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 50.82 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 38.68 in (-12.14) |
| 2025 | 52.90 in (+2.08) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2009: 77.56 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1896: 28.21 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NEW BOSTON (1 mi away) | 16.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 39,948 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 43% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $173,000 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Bowie County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Kalb | 4% | 59% | 945 |
| Hooks | 1% | 91% | 1,196 |
| Leary | 15% | 79% | 246 |
| Maud | 8% | 71% | 466 |
| Nash | 9% | 88% | 1,936 |
| New Boston | 36% | 74% | 2,149 |
| Red Lick | 7% | 45% | 518 |
| Redwater | 5% | 49% | 385 |
| Texarkana | 9% | 66% | 16,482 |
| Wake Village | 17% | 80% | 2,491 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little River County, AR | 21 mi | 36% | 60% |
| Cass County, TX | 25 mi | 4% | 37% |
| Morris County, TX | 29 mi | 25% | 45% |
| Miller County, AR | 32 mi | 43% | 70% |
| Titus County, TX | 35 mi | 50% | 50% |
| Red River County, TX | 38 mi | 61% | 40% |
| Sevier County, AR | 39 mi | 20% | 56% |
| Marion County, TX | 45 mi | 4% | 38% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status