HomeTexasMoore CountyCactus

Cactus, Texas

Inside Cactus' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 60% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 3 cities in Moore County. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%, the 3rd-highest of 3 cities in Moore County.

That clay share is above Moore County's 46%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 1,050 homes, 32% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2000.

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

60%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

1%

high water table: limits basements

0

flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs

32%

of homes built before 1980

Foundation repair in Cactus

Foundation repair in Cactus: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 60% of Cactus' mapped land, more than in 65% of Texas cities.

About 100 of Cactus' 1,050 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 Cactus city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)60.1%
High water table (limits basements)1.5%
Septic fields very limited61.8%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)56.6%
Mapped soil1,363 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Sherm57%95%
Sunray14%n/a
Gruver7%n/a
Conlen6%n/a
Capps3%n/a
Bippus3%n/a
Moore CountyCactus
Cactus city limits inside Moore 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

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 57% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 60% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 28.3% of Moore County is in drought on the latest map, and 60% of Cactus' mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

USDA rates 62% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought in Moore County

28.3% of Moore 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 Cactus. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIPShare of city landFlood lossesPaid
7901388%0$0
7902912%0$0

Homes in Cactus

Housing units1,050
Median year built2000
Built before 198032%
Built 2000 or later51%
Owner-occupied33%
Median value, owner-occupied$82,200
Single-family detached12%

Nearby cities

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Sunray 10 mi 80% 2%
Dumas 13 mi 71% 2%
Stratford 21 mi 77% 2%
Dalhart 28 mi 6% 1%
Channing 31 mi 15% under 1%
Texhoma 33 mi 28% 2%
Stinnett 35 mi 0% 0%
Sanford 36 mi 0% 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