Freestone County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 37% of Freestone County's mapped land, a higher share than 85% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 18%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses here since 2016. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.
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 Freestone County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 36.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 18.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 64.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 38.1% |
| Mapped soil | 571,437 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Edge | 17% | n/a |
| Tabor | 7% | n/a |
| Silstid | 6% | n/a |
| Crockett | 6% | 94% |
| Wolfpen | 6% | n/a |
| Nahatche | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX161 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.3% by land area here, and 38% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 37% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 37% of Freestone County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 18% of Freestone County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 27.21 in, 15.28 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 42.49 in.
USDA rates 64% 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 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 21 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 | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
6 flood losses since 2016, $301,732 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 4.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 42.49 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 27.21 in (-15.28) |
| 2025 | 44.33 in (+1.84) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 68.48 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 20.23 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FAIRFIELD 3W (4 mi away) | 14.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,123 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 40% |
| Built 2000 or later | 33% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $168,000 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Freestone County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limestone County, TX | 28 mi | 61% | 10% |
| Leon County, TX | 29 mi | 16% | 23% |
| Anderson County, TX | 30 mi | 11% | 20% |
| Navarro County, TX | 31 mi | 75% | 8% |
| Henderson County, TX | 39 mi | 25% | 25% |
| Houston County, TX | 50 mi | 23% | 50% |
| Robertson County, TX | 52 mi | 31% | 19% |
| Madison County, TX | 52 mi | 52% | 48% |
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