Callahan County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 60% of Callahan County's mapped land, a higher share than 94% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 55% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1977.
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 Callahan County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 59.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 36.8% |
| Mapped soil | 575,821 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Throck | 16% | n/a |
| Pedernales | 9% | n/a |
| Speck | 9% | n/a |
| Chaney | 6% | n/a |
| Lueders | 5% | n/a |
| Leeray | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX059 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% by land area here, and 37% 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: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 60% of Callahan County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 24.10 in, 4.48 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 28.58 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 13 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 | 97.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 7.7% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $930 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 28.58 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 24.10 in (-4.48) |
| 2025 | 24.07 in (-4.51) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 41.06 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 12.87 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PUTNAM (12 mi away) | 8.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,539 |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 55% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $145,500 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Callahan County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baird | 59% | 0% | 822 |
| Clyde | 87% | 2% | 1,444 |
| Cross Plains | 79% | 5% | 526 |
| Putnam | 80% | 0% | 21 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coleman County, TX | 26 mi | 48% | 0% |
| Taylor County, TX | 30 mi | 45% | under 1% |
| Shackelford County, TX | 31 mi | 43% | under 1% |
| Eastland County, TX | 31 mi | 30% | 15% |
| Brown County, TX | 43 mi | 40% | 1% |
| Jones County, TX | 43 mi | 54% | under 1% |
| Stephens County, TX | 44 mi | 35% | under 1% |
| Runnels County, TX | 47 mi | 42% | 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status