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Corpus Christi, Texas
Inside Corpus Christi's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 8%, the 3rd-highest of 8 cities in Nueces County.
That clay share is below Nueces County's 56%. FEMA's flood data list 4,196 flood losses since 2016 in the 18 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 136,279 homes, 46% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1982.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Nueces County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 18 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Corpus Christi
Foundation repair in Corpus Christi: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 17% of Corpus Christi's mapped land.
The city lists a permit for the work.
About 87,800 of Corpus Christi's 136,279 homes are detached houses.
| City permit | Corpus Christi takes foundation repairs through its residential building permit application. (City of Corpus Christi, Development Services Department, read October 2, 2026) |
| Engineer | Foundation repair needs an engineered, sealed foundation plan. (City of Corpus Christi, Development Services Department) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Corpus Christi city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 32.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.4% |
| Urban land, not rated | 4.4% |
| Mapped soil | 314,968 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 13% | 99% |
| Mustang | 2% | n/a |
| Orelia | 2% | n/a |
| Galveston | 2% | n/a |
| Raymondville | 1% | n/a |
| Nueces | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.4% by land area here, and 16% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 17% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Nueces County is in drought on the latest map, and 17% of Corpus Christi's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Corpus Christi covers 167.7 square miles of land and counts 136,279 housing units, about 813 per square mile.
58% of Corpus Christi's occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $210,400; 26% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under Corpus Christi is Victoria, on 13% of the mapped land, followed by Mustang at 2%.
USDA's soil survey maps 314,968 acres inside Corpus Christi's city limits.
Drought in Nueces County
100% of Nueces County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Corpus Christi. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78418 | 18% | 528 | $4.4 million |
| 78410 | 12% | 15 | $282,236 |
| 78414 | 9% | 42 | $267,125 |
| 78409 | 6% | 15 | $478,401 |
| 78373 | 6% | 3,120 | $143.0 million |
| 78417 | 5% | 17 | $234,712 |
| 78412 | 5% | 174 | $3.5 million |
| 78406 | 5% | 2 | $0 |
| 78413 | 5% | 65 | $903,206 |
| 78411 | 4% | 73 | $1.3 million |
| 78405 | 3% | 9 | $40,917 |
| 78408 | 3% | 4 | $63,637 |
| 78404 | 2% | 30 | $299,572 |
| 78416 | 2% | 9 | $42,334 |
| 78401 | 1% | 22 | $240,840 |
| 78407 | 1% | 1 | $0 |
| 78402 | 1% | 70 | $1.6 million |
| 78419 | under 1% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Corpus Christi
| Housing units | 136,279 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 58% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $210,400 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingleside on the Bay | 6 mi | 0% | 26% |
| Port Aransas | 7 mi | 1% | 49% |
| Ingleside | 8 mi | 27% | 45% |
| Aransas Pass | 10 mi | 3% | 29% |
| Portland | 13 mi | 63% | 7% |
| Gregory | 14 mi | 76% | 2% |
| Taft | 21 mi | 83% | 2% |
| Rockport | 22 mi | 5% | 53% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status