Hale County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 83% of Hale County's mapped land, a higher share than 99% of US counties and the 3rd highest of 254 Texas counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 7%.
37.3% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 71% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1969.
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 Hale County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 82.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 79.5% |
| Mapped soil | 643,456 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX189 (2025-09-18)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.0% by land area here, and 80% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 83% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 37.3% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 83% of Hale County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 11.19 in, 7.96 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 19.15 in.
USDA rates 82% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
37.3% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 37.3% |
| D2 severe or worse | 9.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $8,362 paid. The worst year was 2019, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 19.15 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 11.19 in (-7.96) |
| 2025 | 19.39 in (+0.24) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 38.68 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 6.82 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PLAINVIEW (11 mi away) | 5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 13,392 |
| Median year built | 1969 |
| Built before 1980 | 71% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 61% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $116,500 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Hale County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonson | 96% | under 1% | 52 |
| Hale Center | 97% | 4% | 877 |
| Petersburg | 95% | 1% | 446 |
| Plainview | 91% | 15% | 8,533 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floyd County, TX | 30 mi | 84% | 10% |
| Lamb County, TX | 30 mi | 14% | 2% |
| Lubbock County, TX | 32 mi | 42% | 4% |
| Swisher County, TX | 32 mi | 87% | 10% |
| Castro County, TX | 41 mi | 82% | 5% |
| Crosby County, TX | 44 mi | 54% | 4% |
| Hockley County, TX | 44 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Briscoe County, TX | 47 mi | 40% | 8% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 18, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status