Early, Texas
Inside Early's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 32% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 4 cities in Brown County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is below Brown County's 40%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76802 overlapping the city. Of its 1,294 homes, 47% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1982.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Brown 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 Early
Foundation repair in Early: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 32% of Early's mapped land.
About 900 of Early's 1,294 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 Early city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 31.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 24.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 5.3% |
| Mapped soil | 2,382 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Winters | 39% | n/a |
| Sagerton | 15% | 88% |
| Palopinto | 7% | n/a |
| Rowena | 7% | n/a |
| Leeray | 3% | n/a |
| Abilene | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 24% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 32% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Brown County is in drought on the latest map, and 32% of Early's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Brown County
100% of Brown 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 Early. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76802 | 100% | 1 | $17,704 |
Homes in Early
| Housing units | 1,294 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 47% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $179,800 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownwood | 3 mi | 46% | 0% |
| Blanket | 10 mi | 26% | 0% |
| Bangs | 11 mi | 68% | 1% |
| Mullin | 21 mi | 3% | 0% |
| Comanche | 22 mi | 46% | 4% |
| Santa Anna | 23 mi | 47% | 0% |
| Rising Star | 25 mi | 28% | 21% |
| Coleman | 29 mi | 63% | 0% |
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