Edwards County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4% of Edwards County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Edwards County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 4.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.8% |
| Mapped soil | 1,357,184 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX607 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 27.00 in, 3.31 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 23.69 in.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 4% and a shallow water table on 0% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Edwards County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 28 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 97.9% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the November 18, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 17.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Edwards County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 23.69 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 27.00 in (+3.31) |
| 2025 | 22.27 in (-1.42) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 45.39 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 7.47 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BRACKETTVILLE 22 N (27 mi away) | 7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 815 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 88% |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Edwards County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocksprings | 5% | 0% | 350 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real County, TX | 32 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Sutton County, TX | 39 mi | 19% | under 1% |
| Kinney County, TX | 45 mi | 10% | 1% |
| Kimble County, TX | 48 mi | 6% | 0% |
| Val Verde County, TX | 51 mi | 1% | under 1% |
| Uvalde County, TX | 55 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Kerr County, TX | 56 mi | 33% | under 1% |
| Schleicher County, TX | 64 mi | 32% | 0% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status