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Gatesville, Texas
Inside Gatesville's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 21% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 5 cities in Coryell County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is below Coryell County's 26%. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses since 2016 in the 5 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 3,288 homes, 52% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1979.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Coryell County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 5 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Gatesville
Foundation repair in Gatesville: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 21% of Gatesville's mapped land.
About 2,600 of Gatesville's 3,288 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 Gatesville city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 21.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | under 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 21.2% |
| Mapped soil | 6,831 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Minwells | 23% | n/a |
| Topsey | 13% | n/a |
| Slidell | 12% | n/a |
| Nuff | 11% | n/a |
| Bosque | 7% | n/a |
| Eckrant | 6% | 8% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.0% by land area here, and 21% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 21% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Coryell County is in drought on the latest map, and 21% of Gatesville's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Coryell County
100% of Coryell 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 Gatesville. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76528 | 78% | 5 | $209,252 |
| 76597 | 13% | 0 | $0 |
| 76599 | 7% | 0 | $0 |
| 76596 | 1% | 0 | $0 |
| 76598 | under 1% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Gatesville
| Housing units | 3,288 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $207,300 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Mountain | 4 mi | 17% | 0% |
| Oglesby | 14 mi | 30% | 0% |
| Crawford | 19 mi | 35% | 0% |
| McGregor | 19 mi | 66% | 0% |
| Valley Mills | 22 mi | 23% | 0% |
| Cranfills Gap | 24 mi | 48% | 0% |
| Evant | 24 mi | 32% | 0% |
| Copperas Cove | 24 mi | 25% | 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