El Paso County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4% of El Paso County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
66.1% of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 104 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 39% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under El Paso County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 44.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.9% |
| Mapped soil | 648,979 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Hueco | 13% | n/a |
| Wink | 13% | n/a |
| Bluepoint | 12% | n/a |
| Copia | 5% | n/a |
| Delnorte | 5% | n/a |
| Harkey | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NM719 (2025-09-09), TX624 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 9.37 in, 0.17 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 9.54 in.
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 El Paso County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
66.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 28 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 5 weeks, most recently on the October 28, 2025 map.
| Category, September 22, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 66.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
104 flood losses since 2016, $2.8 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 45. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 100% slabs. Median water depth outside the building: 7 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 45 |
| 2022 | 11 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 9.54 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 9.37 in (-0.17) |
| 2025 | 7.36 in (-2.18) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1905: 17.04 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 2.81 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at EL PASO INTL AP (9 mi away) | 1.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 323,571 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 39% |
| Built 2000 or later | 34% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $180,400 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in El Paso County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony | 6% | 0% | 1,584 |
| Clint | 20% | 0% | 413 |
| El Paso | 4% | 0% | 265,320 |
| Horizon City | 0% | 0% | 7,325 |
| San Elizario | 22% | 0% | 3,239 |
| Socorro | 27% | 0% | 12,052 |
| Vinton | under 1% | 0% | 591 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doña Ana County, NM | 53 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Hudspeth County, TX | 55 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Otero County, NM | 66 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Luna County, NM | 93 mi | 28% | under 1% |
| Culberson County, TX | 103 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| Sierra County, NM | 108 mi | 13% | 1% |
| Eddy County, NM | 123 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| Grant County, NM | 142 mi | 38% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status