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Decatur, Texas
Inside Decatur's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is close to Wise County's 21%. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76234 overlapping the city. Of its 3,424 homes, 38% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1988.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Wise County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Decatur
Foundation repair in Decatur: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 18% of Decatur's mapped land.
About 2,500 of Decatur's 3,424 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Decatur city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 18.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 62.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.1% |
| Mapped soil | 6,096 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Venus | 14% | n/a |
| Duffau | 14% | n/a |
| Aledo | 12% | n/a |
| Somervell | 11% | n/a |
| Sanger | 8% | 99% |
| Keeter | 7% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% 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 18% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Wise County is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Decatur's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 62% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Wise County
100% of Wise County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Decatur. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76234 | 100% | 3 | $94,843 |
Homes in Decatur
| Housing units | 3,424 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 38% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $284,500 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise | 8 mi | 22% | 22% |
| Boyd | 10 mi | 12% | 2% |
| Bridgeport | 11 mi | 38% | 12% |
| Alvord | 11 mi | 13% | 10% |
| Rhome | 12 mi | 30% | 1% |
| New Fairview | 12 mi | 50% | 0% |
| Aurora | 13 mi | 14% | 8% |
| Chico | 13 mi | 7% | 26% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status