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Gillespie County, Texas

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23% of Gillespie County's mapped land, a higher share than 74% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 9 flood losses here since 2016. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1991.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

23%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

0%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

34%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Gillespie County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)23.5%
High water table (limits basements)0.0%
Septic fields very limited88.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)45.6%
Mapped soil679,321 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Tarrant26%n/a
Purves11%40%
Brackett7%0%
Tarpley6%n/a
Oakalla5%n/a
Doss4%n/a
Kendall County: 23%Llano County: 16%Mason County: 15%Kerr County: 33%Blanco County: 28%Bandera County: 17%Kimble County: 6%Comal County: 19%Gillespie County KendallLlanoMasonKerrBlancoBanderaKimbleComalGillespie
Gillespie County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas TX171 (2025-09-04)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 46% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.35 in, 3.24 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 30.11 in.

USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the March 31, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse58%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

9 flood losses since 2016, $706,354 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 6.

YearFlood losses
20161
20170
20182
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 to date6

Rain

Average year, 1991-202030.11 in
12 months to August 202633.35 in (+3.24)
202532.29 in (+2.18)
Wettest year since 18951919: 54.87 in
Driest year since 18951956: 11.26 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FREDERICKSBURG (6 mi away)8.8

Homes

Housing units14,373
Median year built1991
Built before 198034%
Built 2000 or later37%
Owner-occupied75%
Median value, owner-occupied$460,700
Single-family detached73%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Cities in Gillespie County

CityExpansive clayHigh water tableHomes
Fredericksburg42%0%6,525

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Kendall County, TX 30 mi 23% 0%
Llano County, TX 31 mi 16% 0%
Mason County, TX 32 mi 15% 0%
Kerr County, TX 32 mi 33% under 1%
Blanco County, TX 33 mi 28% 0%
Bandera County, TX 43 mi 17% 0%
Kimble County, TX 49 mi 6% 0%
Comal County, TX 54 mi 19% under 1%

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