Deaf Smith County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 70% of Deaf Smith County's mapped land, a higher share than 97% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
29.8% 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 2 flood losses here since 2016. 72% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1971.
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 Deaf Smith County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 70.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 68.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 63.0% |
| Mapped soil | 958,253 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX117 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.6% by land area here, and 63% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 70% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 29.8% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 70% of Deaf Smith County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.31 in, 8.39 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.70 in.
USDA rates 68% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
29.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 36 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 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 | 29.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $21,071 paid. The worst year was 2023, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.70 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.31 in (-8.39) |
| 2025 | 22.03 in (+3.33) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 37.11 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 8.68 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HEREFORD (15 mi away) | 3.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,984 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 72% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $121,300 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Deaf Smith County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hereford | 78% | 1% | 5,522 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parmer County, TX | 30 mi | 61% | 2% |
| Oldham County, TX | 32 mi | 20% | 1% |
| Castro County, TX | 34 mi | 82% | 5% |
| Randall County, TX | 40 mi | 66% | 7% |
| Curry County, NM | 49 mi | 29% | 1% |
| Potter County, TX | 51 mi | 19% | 2% |
| Quay County, NM | 54 mi | 15% | 1% |
| Swisher County, TX | 57 mi | 87% | 10% |
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