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Groves, Texas
Inside Groves' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
That clay share is below Jefferson County's 56%. USDA doesn't rate the 99% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 1,000 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 77619 overlapping the city. Of its 6,796 homes, 76% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1967.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Jefferson County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Groves
Foundation repair in Groves: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 1% of Groves' mapped land.
About 6,000 of Groves' 6,796 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 Groves city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 0.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.8% |
| Urban land, not rated | 99.0% |
| Mapped soil | 3,346 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Labelle | 1% | n/a |
| Levac | under 1% | n/a |
| Aris | under 1% | n/a |
| Morey | under 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Groves; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Jefferson County
98.7% of Jefferson 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 Groves. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77619 | over 99% | 1,000 | $82.3 million |
Homes in Groves
| Housing units | 6,796 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 76% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $163,600 |
| Single-family detached | 88% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Neches | 3 mi | 29% | 28% |
| Port Arthur | 3 mi | 31% | 41% |
| Nederland | 5 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Bridge City | 7 mi | 47% | 56% |
| West Orange | 13 mi | 66% | 28% |
| Vidor | 13 mi | 38% | 52% |
| Rose City | 14 mi | 18% | 42% |
| Taylor Landing | 14 mi | 30% | 55% |
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