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Brownwood, Texas
Inside Brownwood's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 46% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 4 cities in Brown County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is above Brown County's 40%. FEMA's flood data list 25 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 8,671 homes, 70% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1972.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Brown County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Brownwood
Foundation repair in Brownwood: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 46% of Brownwood's mapped land, more than in 54% of Texas cities.
About 5,700 of Brownwood's 8,671 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 Brownwood city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 45.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 35.8% |
| Urban land, not rated | 23.3% |
| Mapped soil | 9,564 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Frio | 13% | n/a |
| Sagerton | 10% | 88% |
| Speck | 7% | n/a |
| Winters | 6% | n/a |
| Deleon | 5% | n/a |
| Callahan | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.5% by land area here, and 36% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 46% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Brown County is in drought on the latest map, and 46% of Brownwood's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Brown County
100% of Brown County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Brownwood. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76801 | 84% | 24 | $594,427 |
| 76802 | 16% | 1 | $17,704 |
Homes in Brownwood
| Housing units | 8,671 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 70% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $144,400 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early | 3 mi | 32% | 0% |
| Bangs | 9 mi | 68% | 1% |
| Blanket | 13 mi | 26% | 0% |
| Santa Anna | 21 mi | 47% | 0% |
| Mullin | 21 mi | 3% | 0% |
| Comanche | 25 mi | 46% | 4% |
| Rising Star | 27 mi | 28% | 21% |
| Coleman | 27 mi | 63% | 0% |
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