Dumas, Texas
Inside Dumas' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 71% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 3 cities in Moore County. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%, the highest of 3 cities in Moore County.
That clay share is above Moore County's 46%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79029 overlapping the city. Of its 5,612 homes, 68% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1972.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Moore 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 Dumas
Foundation repair in Dumas: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 71% of Dumas' mapped land, more than in 76% of Texas cities.
About 4,000 of Dumas' 5,612 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 Dumas city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 71.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 66.8% |
| Mapped soil | 3,552 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sherm | 67% | 95% |
| Gruver | 8% | n/a |
| Sunray | 7% | n/a |
| Dumas | 4% | n/a |
| Conlen | 3% | n/a |
| Mobeetie | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% by land area here, and 67% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 71% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 28.3% of Moore County is in drought on the latest map, and 71% of Dumas' mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Moore County
28.3% of Moore 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 Dumas. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79029 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Dumas
| Housing units | 5,612 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $156,300 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
Nearby cities
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