Duval County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4% of Duval County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Duval County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 4.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 50.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.5% |
| Mapped soil | 1,148,845 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Benavides | 11% | n/a |
| Delmita | 8% | n/a |
| Piedras | 8% | n/a |
| Delfina | 7% | n/a |
| Olmedo | 6% | n/a |
| Weesatche | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX131 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.57 in, 6.46 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 24.03 in.
USDA rates 51% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 4% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Duval County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 38 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 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 | 32.4% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $41,635 paid. The worst year was 2020, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 24.03 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.57 in (-6.46) |
| 2025 | 16.62 in (-7.41) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 43.48 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 8.05 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FREER (15 mi away) | 8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,420 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $89,400 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Duval County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Wells County, TX | 25 mi | 27% | 19% |
| Jim Hogg County, TX | 46 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Brooks County, TX | 48 mi | 1% | 9% |
| McMullen County, TX | 49 mi | 35% | under 1% |
| Webb County, TX | 51 mi | 33% | under 1% |
| Live Oak County, TX | 52 mi | 29% | under 1% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 54 mi | 31% | 18% |
| La Salle County, TX | 59 mi | 35% | under 1% |
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