Falls County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 72% of Falls County's mapped land, a higher share than 98% of US counties and the 10th highest of 254 Texas counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 60% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.
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 Falls County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 72.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 75.0% |
| Mapped soil | 495,904 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Wilson | 20% | 88% |
| Heiden | 11% | 80% |
| Houston Black | 10% | 91% |
| Crockett | 8% | 94% |
| Ships | 5% | n/a |
| Silawa | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX145 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.5% by land area here, and 75% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 72% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 72% of Falls County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 29.44 in, 9.01 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 38.45 in.
USDA rates 83% 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 30 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 18 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 16% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $58,641 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 38.45 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 29.44 in (-9.01) |
| 2025 | 35.91 in (-2.54) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2007: 55.33 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 17.83 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MARLIN (5 mi away) | 12.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,450 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $110,900 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Falls County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| McLennan County, TX | 26 mi | 56% | under 1% |
| Limestone County, TX | 29 mi | 61% | 10% |
| Robertson County, TX | 29 mi | 31% | 19% |
| Milam County, TX | 32 mi | 61% | 12% |
| Bell County, TX | 36 mi | 55% | 1% |
| Hill County, TX | 52 mi | 53% | 2% |
| Coryell County, TX | 52 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| Leon County, TX | 56 mi | 16% | 23% |
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