Erath County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20% of Erath County's mapped land, a higher share than 70% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 6%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses here since 2016. 36% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1991.
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 Erath County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 5.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 69.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 19.8% |
| Mapped soil | 691,533 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Windthorst | 11% | 37% |
| Purves | 10% | 40% |
| Maloterre | 6% | n/a |
| Lewisville | 5% | n/a |
| Dugout | 5% | n/a |
| Hico | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX143 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 20% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 20% of Erath County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 22.42 in, 11.50 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 33.92 in.
USDA rates 69% 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 9 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 | 28.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
5 flood losses since 2016, $150,619 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 33.92 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 22.42 in (-11.50) |
| 2025 | 27.70 in (-6.22) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 57.82 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2022: 16.38 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at STEPHENVILLE (1 mi away) | 10 |
Homes
| Housing units | 18,694 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 37% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $269,100 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Erath County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin | 28% | under 1% | 1,255 |
| Stephenville | 36% | 15% | 9,095 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somervell County, TX | 26 mi | 13% | 4% |
| Hood County, TX | 26 mi | 18% | 9% |
| Comanche County, TX | 28 mi | 30% | 11% |
| Palo Pinto County, TX | 36 mi | 19% | 1% |
| Eastland County, TX | 37 mi | 30% | 15% |
| Hamilton County, TX | 37 mi | 31% | under 1% |
| Bosque County, TX | 41 mi | 29% | 1% |
| Parker County, TX | 44 mi | 21% | 5% |
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