Cooke County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 38% of Cooke County's mapped land, a higher share than 86% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
74.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses here since 2016. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Cooke County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 37.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 41.0% |
| Mapped soil | 573,735 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX097 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.9% by land area here, and 41% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 38% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 74.9% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 38% of Cooke County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.33 in, 5.40 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 38.73 in.
USDA rates 75% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
74.9% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 8 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 74.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
6 flood losses since 2016, $473,574 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 38.73 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.33 in (-5.40) |
| 2025 | 41.93 in (+3.20) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 76.92 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 19.28 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at GAINESVILLE 5 ENE (9 mi away) | 13 |
Homes
| Housing units | 17,944 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 31% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $240,400 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Cooke County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callisburg | 34% | 0% | 174 |
| Gainesville | 76% | 0% | 7,485 |
| Lindsay | 75% | 0% | 466 |
| Muenster | 53% | 0% | 600 |
| Oak Ridge | 9% | 3% | 129 |
| Road Runner | 16% | 0% | 356 |
| Valley View | 65% | 0% | 343 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Love County, OK | 22 mi | 17% | 2% |
| Montague County, TX | 30 mi | 23% | 3% |
| Denton County, TX | 30 mi | 50% | 1% |
| Grayson County, TX | 31 mi | 60% | 4% |
| Marshall County, OK | 37 mi | 30% | 1% |
| Wise County, TX | 39 mi | 21% | 5% |
| Carter County, OK | 43 mi | 23% | 3% |
| Collin County, TX | 48 mi | 72% | 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