Eastland County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30% of Eastland County's mapped land, a higher share than 80% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 15%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 78 flood losses here since 2016. 65% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1966.
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 Eastland County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 29.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 11.9% |
| Mapped soil | 594,835 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Chaney | 20% | n/a |
| Demona | 7% | n/a |
| Pedernales | 6% | n/a |
| Owens | 6% | n/a |
| Truce | 6% | 47% |
| Bonti | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX133 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 12% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 30% of Eastland County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 25.05 in, 6.02 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 31.07 in.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 23 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 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 | 50.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
78 flood losses since 2016, $2.7 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 68. Median water depth outside the building: 18.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 68 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 25.05 in (-6.02) |
| 2025 | 27.34 in (-3.73) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 47.18 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 15.15 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PUTNAM (21 mi away) | 8.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,384 |
| Median year built | 1966 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $134,800 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Eastland County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephens County, TX | 29 mi | 35% | under 1% |
| Comanche County, TX | 31 mi | 30% | 11% |
| Callahan County, TX | 31 mi | 60% | 2% |
| Erath County, TX | 37 mi | 20% | 6% |
| Brown County, TX | 40 mi | 40% | 1% |
| Coleman County, TX | 41 mi | 48% | 0% |
| Shackelford County, TX | 42 mi | 43% | under 1% |
| Palo Pinto County, TX | 42 mi | 19% | 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