Denton County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 50% of Denton County's mapped land, a higher share than 91% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 122 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 12% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2003.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Denton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 50.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 76.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 52.2% |
| Mapped soil | 613,159 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sanger | 11% | 99% |
| Somervell | 5% | n/a |
| Callisburg | 5% | n/a |
| Slidell | 5% | n/a |
| Ponder | 4% | n/a |
| Gasil | 4% | 0% |
How we count · survey areas TX121 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.0% by land area here, and 52% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 50% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 50% of Denton County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 30.60 in, 7.83 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 38.43 in.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 8 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, September 22, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 100% |
| D4 exceptional | 1.7% |
Flood losses since 2016
122 flood losses since 2016, $3.6 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 24. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 88% slabs, 7% crawl spaces, 5% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 6 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 12 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 24 |
| 2019 | 16 |
| 2020 | 18 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 9 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 8 |
| 2025 | 13 |
| 2026 to date | 7 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 38.43 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 30.60 in (-7.83) |
| 2025 | 37.95 in (-0.48) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 63.62 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2005: 18.10 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DENTON 2 SE (1 mi away) | 11.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 376,754 |
| Median year built | 2003 |
| Built before 1980 | 12% |
| Built 2000 or later | 57% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $437,200 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Denton County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argyle | 21% | 1% | 1,784 |
| Aubrey | 33% | 1% | 3,176 |
| Bartonville | 4% | 2% | 718 |
| Carrollton | 65% | 8% | 54,365 |
| Copper Canyon | 2% | 2% | 926 |
| Corinth | 12% | 3% | 8,869 |
| Corral City | 78% | 0% | 7 |
| Cross Roads | 1% | under 1% | 768 |
| DISH | 53% | under 1% | 189 |
| Denton | 49% | 1% | 60,531 |
| Double Oak | 2% | 1% | 1,107 |
| Flower Mound | 29% | 1% | 28,789 |
| Hackberry | 84% | 0% | 1,000 |
| Hebron | 66% | 0% | 117 |
| Hickory Creek | 18% | 5% | 2,036 |
| Highland Village | 9% | under 1% | 5,680 |
| Justin | 58% | under 1% | 1,842 |
| Krugerville | 5% | under 1% | 612 |
| Krum | 77% | 0% | 2,035 |
| Lake Dallas | 18% | 1% | 3,294 |
| Lakewood Village | 77% | 0% | 253 |
| Lewisville | 49% | 4% | 54,237 |
| Little Elm | 52% | 1% | 19,778 |
| Northlake | 73% | under 1% | 2,889 |
| Oak Point | 31% | under 1% | 2,275 |
| Pilot Point | 53% | 1% | 1,931 |
| Ponder | 80% | 0% | 887 |
| Providence Village | 18% | 7% | 2,859 |
| Roanoke | 63% | under 1% | 4,547 |
| Sanger | 77% | under 1% | 3,856 |
| Shady Shores | 14% | 7% | 997 |
| The Colony | 68% | 0% | 19,388 |
| Trophy Club | 39% | 5% | 4,876 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooke County, TX | 30 mi | 38% | under 1% |
| Collin County, TX | 31 mi | 72% | 1% |
| Wise County, TX | 31 mi | 21% | 5% |
| Tarrant County, TX | 32 mi | 41% | 4% |
| Dallas County, TX | 36 mi | 51% | 6% |
| Grayson County, TX | 39 mi | 60% | 4% |
| Rockwall County, TX | 46 mi | 72% | 2% |
| Montague County, TX | 48 mi | 23% | 3% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status