Chambers County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 63% of Chambers County's mapped land, a higher share than 95% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 68%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 69.4% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 1,134 flood losses here since 2016, under 1% of them in buildings with basements. 20% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2004.
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 Chambers County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 62.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 68.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 63.4% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.2% |
| Mapped soil | 409,721 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| League | 19% | 92% |
| Beaumont | 13% | n/a |
| Harris | 12% | n/a |
| Morey | 6% | n/a |
| Labelle | 5% | n/a |
| Levac | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX071 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.1% by land area here, and 63% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 63% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 63% of Chambers County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 68% of Chambers County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 45.03 in, 11.86 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 56.89 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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 22 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 | 63.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1,134 flood losses since 2016, $103.4 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 728. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 88% slabs, 1% crawl spaces, 10% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 14 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 728 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 347 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 31 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 56.89 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 45.03 in (-11.86) |
| 2025 | 42.72 in (-14.17) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1900: 83.57 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 25.59 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ANAHUAC (7 mi away) | 17 |
Homes
| Housing units | 18,937 |
| Median year built | 2004 |
| Built before 1980 | 20% |
| Built 2000 or later | 58% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $329,500 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Chambers County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anahuac | 69% | 71% | 962 |
| Beach City | 22% | 40% | 1,488 |
| Cove | 72% | 51% | 179 |
| Mont Belvieu | 42% | 44% | 3,111 |
| Old River-Winfree | 63% | 39% | 685 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, TX | 33 mi | 56% | 66% |
| Galveston County, TX | 34 mi | 23% | 61% |
| Liberty County, TX | 36 mi | 46% | 76% |
| Harris County, TX | 45 mi | 25% | 53% |
| Hardin County, TX | 47 mi | 12% | 67% |
| Orange County, TX | 55 mi | 26% | 65% |
| Brazoria County, TX | 59 mi | 64% | 44% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 65 mi | 15% | 65% |
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