Brazos County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 57% of Brazos County's mapped land, a higher share than 93% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 26%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 204 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 23% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1997.
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 Brazos County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 56.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 26.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 61.2% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.9% |
| Mapped soil | 378,106 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Tabor | 6% | n/a |
| Ships | 6% | n/a |
| Sandow | 6% | n/a |
| Gredge | 5% | n/a |
| Zack | 5% | n/a |
| Boonville | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX041 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.5% by land area here, and 61% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 57% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 57% of Brazos County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 26% of Brazos 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: 31.67 in, 10.80 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 42.47 in.
USDA rates 84% 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 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 21 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 | 63.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 6.3% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
204 flood losses since 2016, $4.2 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 74. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 92% slabs, 1% crawl spaces, 5% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 74 |
| 2017 | 56 |
| 2018 | 21 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 15 |
| 2025 | 8 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 42.47 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.67 in (-10.80) |
| 2025 | 34.82 in (-7.65) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 61.28 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 18.33 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COLLEGE STN (6 mi away) | 12.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 100,826 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 23% |
| Built 2000 or later | 46% |
| Owner-occupied | 47% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $296,000 |
| Single-family detached | 51% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Brazos County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan | 56% | 22% | 37,238 |
| College Station | 57% | 23% | 51,494 |
| Kurten | 72% | 53% | 181 |
| Wixon Valley | 73% | 42% | 106 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grimes County, TX | 20 mi | 61% | 40% |
| Burleson County, TX | 22 mi | 50% | 17% |
| Robertson County, TX | 28 mi | 31% | 19% |
| Madison County, TX | 31 mi | 52% | 48% |
| Washington County, TX | 31 mi | 54% | 9% |
| Milam County, TX | 42 mi | 61% | 12% |
| Walker County, TX | 44 mi | 40% | 63% |
| Lee County, TX | 46 mi | 48% | 25% |
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