Fayette County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 67% of Fayette County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 14%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 83 flood losses here since 2016, 4% of them in buildings with basements. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Fayette County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 67.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 68.7% |
| Mapped soil | 614,100 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Frelsburg | 9% | 93% |
| Straber | 7% | n/a |
| Carbengle | 7% | n/a |
| Hallettsville | 5% | n/a |
| Singleton | 5% | n/a |
| Latium | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX149 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.7% by land area here, and 69% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 67% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 67% of Fayette County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 30.88 in, 9.26 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 40.14 in.
USDA rates 87% 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 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 39 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 | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
83 flood losses since 2016, $6.9 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 57. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 4% basements, 65% slabs, 8% crawl spaces, 23% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 62 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 12 |
| 2017 | 57 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 12 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 40.14 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 30.88 in (-9.26) |
| 2025 | 30.12 in (-10.02) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 59.40 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 17.32 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SCHULENBURG (14 mi away) | 12.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 13,233 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $293,900 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Fayette County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carmine | 96% | 6% | 144 |
| Ellinger | 90% | 3% | 162 |
| Fayetteville | 77% | 12% | 187 |
| Flatonia | 96% | 4% | 724 |
| La Grange | 64% | 4% | 2,411 |
| Round Top | 24% | 7% | 84 |
| Schulenburg | 65% | 13% | 1,326 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bastrop County, TX | 28 mi | 52% | 14% |
| Lee County, TX | 30 mi | 48% | 25% |
| Colorado County, TX | 31 mi | 37% | 24% |
| Lavaca County, TX | 35 mi | 48% | 37% |
| Washington County, TX | 38 mi | 54% | 9% |
| Austin County, TX | 38 mi | 38% | 20% |
| Caldwell County, TX | 43 mi | 59% | 6% |
| Gonzales County, TX | 45 mi | 55% | 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