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Gainesville, Texas
Inside Gainesville's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 76% of mapped land, the highest of 7 cities in Cooke County. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is above Cooke County's 38%. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 7,485 homes, 68% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1971.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Cooke County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Gainesville
Foundation repair in Gainesville: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 76% of Gainesville's mapped land, more than in 80% of Texas cities.
About 5,300 of Gainesville's 7,485 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Gainesville city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 75.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 95.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 76.0% |
| Mapped soil | 12,365 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.7% by land area here, and 76% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 76% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 74.9% of Cooke County is in drought on the latest map, and 76% of Gainesville's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 96% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Cooke County
74.9% of Cooke County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Gainesville. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76240 | 98% | 5 | $123,574 |
| 76241 | 2% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Gainesville
| Housing units | 7,485 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 58% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $177,000 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lindsay | 4 mi | 75% | 0% |
| Oak Ridge | 6 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Callisburg | 9 mi | 34% | 0% |
| Valley View | 11 mi | 65% | 0% |
| Road Runner | 11 mi | 16% | 0% |
| Muenster | 13 mi | 53% | 0% |
| Whitesboro | 14 mi | 56% | 0% |
| Collinsville | 15 mi | 40% | 0% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status