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Cleburne, Texas
Inside Cleburne's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 52% of mapped land, higher than 59% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
That clay share is close to Johnson County's 51%. FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 12,467 homes, 46% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1983.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Johnson County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Cleburne
Foundation repair in Cleburne: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 52% of Cleburne's mapped land, more than in 59% of Texas cities.
About 8,800 of Cleburne's 12,467 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Cleburne city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 51.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 55.4% |
| Urban land, not rated | 4.6% |
| Mapped soil | 23,214 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Ponder | 19% | n/a |
| Sanger | 14% | 99% |
| Bolar | 6% | n/a |
| Lindale | 6% | n/a |
| Aledo | 6% | n/a |
| Slidell | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.0% by land area here, and 55% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 52% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Johnson County is in drought on the latest map, and 52% of Cleburne's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Johnson County
100% of Johnson County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Cleburne. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76033 | 71% | 4 | $6,191 |
| 76031 | 20% | 2 | $45,047 |
Homes in Cleburne
| Housing units | 12,467 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 28% |
| Owner-occupied | 60% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $221,100 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keene | 6 mi | 42% | 16% |
| Coyote Flats | 7 mi | 78% | 1% |
| Joshua | 7 mi | 46% | 16% |
| Rio Vista | 9 mi | 21% | 0% |
| Cross Timber | 10 mi | 20% | 25% |
| Godley | 10 mi | 49% | 0% |
| Briaroaks | 12 mi | 44% | 19% |
| Burleson | 12 mi | 61% | 7% |
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