Comanche County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30% of Comanche County's mapped land, a higher share than 81% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 11%.
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. 54% 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 Comanche County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 72.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 19.6% |
| Mapped soil | 613,433 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Chaney | 15% | n/a |
| Purves | 8% | 40% |
| Pedernales | 7% | n/a |
| Bolar | 7% | n/a |
| Demona | 5% | n/a |
| Tarrant | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX093 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 20% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 30% of Comanche County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 28.61 in, 2.85 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 31.46 in.
USDA rates 72% 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 23 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 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 | 74.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $28,869 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.46 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 28.61 in (-2.85) |
| 2025 | 30.86 in (-0.60) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 45.50 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 14.72 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PROCTOR RSVR (3 mi away) | 10 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,940 |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $155,600 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Comanche County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erath County, TX | 28 mi | 20% | 6% |
| Brown County, TX | 29 mi | 40% | 1% |
| Hamilton County, TX | 31 mi | 31% | under 1% |
| Eastland County, TX | 31 mi | 30% | 15% |
| Mills County, TX | 31 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| Coleman County, TX | 47 mi | 48% | 0% |
| Somervell County, TX | 49 mi | 13% | 4% |
| Hood County, TX | 53 mi | 18% | 9% |
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