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Buffalo, Texas

Inside Buffalo's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 5%.

That clay share is below Leon County's 16%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75831 overlapping the city. Of its 880 homes, 40% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1986.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Leon County

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

5%

high water table: limits basements

1

flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP

40%

of homes built before 1980

Foundation repair in Buffalo

Foundation repair in Buffalo: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 0% of Buffalo's mapped land.

About 400 of Buffalo's 880 homes are detached houses.

Who designs the repairThe ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines)
PricesCost guide ranges compared

Soil under Buffalo city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)4.7%
Septic fields very limited45.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)2.3%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.5%
Mapped soil3,026 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Wolfpen39%n/a
Cuthbert19%0%
Pickton13%n/a
Tenaha11%n/a
Kirvin9%n/a
Hatliff4%n/a
Leon CountyBuffalo
Buffalo city limits inside Leon County, shaded by the city's expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 5% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Buffalo; conditions still vary lot by lot.

Drought in Leon County

100% of Leon County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Flood losses by ZIP code

FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Buffalo. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIPShare of city landFlood lossesPaid
75831100%1$0

Homes in Buffalo

Housing units880
Median year built1986
Built before 198040%
Built 2000 or later25%
Owner-occupied60%
Median value, owner-occupied$73,500
Single-family detached41%

Nearby cities

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Jewett 8 mi under 1% 14%
Centerville 15 mi 0% 9%
Oakwood 15 mi 14% 74%
Teague 17 mi 49% 12%
Fairfield 19 mi 58% 29%
Marquez 19 mi 49% 16%
Leona 22 mi 3% 11%
Kirvin 26 mi 82% 2%

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