Brown County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 40% of Brown County's mapped land, a higher share than 87% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 28 flood losses here since 2016. 55% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Brown County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 40.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 27.3% |
| Mapped soil | 613,703 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Callahan | 8% | n/a |
| Palopinto | 8% | n/a |
| Pedernales | 5% | n/a |
| Bonti | 5% | n/a |
| Frio | 4% | n/a |
| Leeray | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX602 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 27% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 40% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 40% of Brown County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 26.13 in, 3.26 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 29.39 in.
USDA rates 83% 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 22 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 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 | 67% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
28 flood losses since 2016, $614,976 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 23.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 23 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 29.39 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 26.13 in (-3.26) |
| 2025 | 25.99 in (-3.40) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 42.58 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 14.42 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BROWNWOOD 2ENE (4 mi away) | 9.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 19,246 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $158,900 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Brown County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coleman County, TX | 23 mi | 48% | 0% |
| Mills County, TX | 29 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| Comanche County, TX | 29 mi | 30% | 11% |
| Eastland County, TX | 40 mi | 30% | 15% |
| Callahan County, TX | 43 mi | 60% | 2% |
| San Saba County, TX | 43 mi | 45% | 1% |
| McCulloch County, TX | 44 mi | 29% | under 1% |
| Hamilton County, TX | 52 mi | 31% | 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