Coleman County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 48% of Coleman County's mapped land, a higher share than 90% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 66% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1966.
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 Coleman County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 48.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 43.2% |
| Mapped soil | 820,589 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Tarrant | 13% | n/a |
| Purves | 10% | 40% |
| Leeray | 9% | n/a |
| Kavett | 8% | n/a |
| Frio | 7% | n/a |
| Rowena | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX083 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.9% by land area here, and 43% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 48% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 48% of Coleman County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 22.72 in, 4.75 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 27.47 in.
USDA rates 86% 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 8 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 | 91.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 37.7% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $6,764 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 27.47 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 22.72 in (-4.75) |
| 2025 | 22.26 in (-5.21) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1991: 40.92 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 12.91 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at COLEMAN (8 mi away) | 8.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,899 |
| Median year built | 1966 |
| Built before 1980 | 66% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $92,500 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Coleman County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coleman | 63% | 0% | 2,268 |
| Novice | 68% | under 1% | 38 |
| Santa Anna | 47% | 0% | 486 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County, TX | 23 mi | 40% | 1% |
| Callahan County, TX | 26 mi | 60% | 2% |
| Runnels County, TX | 38 mi | 42% | 1% |
| Eastland County, TX | 41 mi | 30% | 15% |
| Taylor County, TX | 41 mi | 45% | under 1% |
| Comanche County, TX | 47 mi | 30% | 11% |
| McCulloch County, TX | 49 mi | 29% | under 1% |
| Concho County, TX | 51 mi | 32% | under 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