Brewster County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6% of Brewster County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
28.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 51% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
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 Brewster County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 5.6% |
| Mapped soil | 3,962,329 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Blackgap | 8% | n/a |
| Bissett | 5% | n/a |
| Crossen | 4% | n/a |
| Paisano | 4% | n/a |
| Corazones | 4% | n/a |
| Stovall | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX621 (2025-09-05), TX622 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 9.50 in, 3.08 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 12.58 in.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on 0% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Brewster County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
28.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 28.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 12.58 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 9.50 in (-3.08) |
| 2025 | 10.46 in (-2.12) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 27.40 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 2.97 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PERSIMMON GAP (11 mi away) | 2.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,917 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $227,000 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Brewster County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine | 38% | 0% | 3,682 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidio County, TX | 62 mi | 10% | 0% |
| Pecos County, TX | 74 mi | 8% | 1% |
| Terrell County, TX | 76 mi | 1% | 0% |
| Jeff Davis County, TX | 80 mi | 13% | under 1% |
| Reeves County, TX | 107 mi | 11% | 1% |
| Ward County, TX | 117 mi | 4% | 0% |
| Crane County, TX | 121 mi | 1% | under 1% |
| Val Verde County, TX | 127 mi | 1% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status