Burnet County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27% of Burnet County's mapped land, a higher share than 77% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
21.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 367 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 28% 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 Burnet County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 26.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 25.4% |
| Mapped soil | 653,152 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX601 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 25% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 21.3% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 27% of Burnet County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.40 in, 0.71 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 32.11 in.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
21.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 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 | 21.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
367 flood losses since 2016, $19.7 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 322. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 72% slabs, 3% crawl spaces, 24% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 33 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 322 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 32 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 32.11 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.40 in (-0.71) |
| 2025 | 33.03 in (+0.92) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 52.48 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 12.61 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BURNET (3 mi away) | 10.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 25,555 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 28% |
| Built 2000 or later | 45% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $344,000 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Burnet County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bertram | 39% | 0% | 874 |
| Burnet | 25% | 0% | 2,614 |
| Cottonwood Shores | 20% | 0% | 685 |
| Double Horn | 70% | 0% | 178 |
| Granite Shoals | 0% | 0% | 2,568 |
| Highland Haven | 6% | 0% | 356 |
| Marble Falls | 44% | under 1% | 3,483 |
| Meadowlakes | 64% | 0% | 939 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lampasas County, TX | 28 mi | 20% | under 1% |
| Llano County, TX | 29 mi | 16% | 0% |
| Williamson County, TX | 37 mi | 60% | 1% |
| Blanco County, TX | 38 mi | 28% | 0% |
| San Saba County, TX | 44 mi | 45% | 1% |
| Bell County, TX | 46 mi | 55% | 1% |
| Coryell County, TX | 48 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| Travis County, TX | 49 mi | 39% | 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