Hartley County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 14% of Hartley County's mapped land, a higher share than 62% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
16.4% 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 no flood losses here since 2016. 52% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
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 Hartley County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 14.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 22.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.3% |
| Mapped soil | 936,326 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Dallam | 28% | n/a |
| Dumas | 7% | n/a |
| Sherm | 7% | 95% |
| Berda | 6% | n/a |
| Gruver | 5% | n/a |
| Sunray | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX205 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 8.81 in, 7.93 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 16.74 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 14% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hartley County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
16.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 33 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 | 16.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Hartley County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 16.74 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 8.81 in (-7.93) |
| 2025 | 16.39 in (-0.35) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 35.22 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 8.75 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DALHART MUNI AP (13 mi away) | 3.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,814 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $262,500 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Hartley County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channing | 15% | under 1% | 124 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oldham County, TX | 30 mi | 20% | 1% |
| Dallam County, TX | 31 mi | 15% | 1% |
| Moore County, TX | 40 mi | 46% | 2% |
| Sherman County, TX | 50 mi | 40% | 2% |
| Potter County, TX | 51 mi | 19% | 2% |
| Deaf Smith County, TX | 62 mi | 70% | 3% |
| Cimarron County, OK | 63 mi | 22% | 2% |
| Union County, NM | 66 mi | 28% | 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