Hays County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 14% of Hays County's mapped land, a higher share than 61% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
The soil survey maps 85% of the county's land area; these shares describe the mapped part. 100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 93 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 12% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2007.
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 Hays County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 13.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | under 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 14.2% |
| Mapped soil | 368,071 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX604 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 27.91 in, 7.23 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.14 in.
USDA rates 82% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 14% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hays County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 37 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 85% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
93 flood losses since 2016, $2.7 million paid. The worst year was 2019, with 39. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 90% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 8% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 20 |
| 2017 | 23 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 39 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 35.14 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 27.91 in (-7.23) |
| 2025 | 26.45 in (-8.69) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 55.12 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 12.94 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WIMBERLEY 1 NW (6 mi away) | 11.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 104,675 |
| Median year built | 2007 |
| Built before 1980 | 12% |
| Built 2000 or later | 66% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $399,800 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Hays County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek | 6% | 0% | 209 |
| Buda | 61% | under 1% | 6,242 |
| Dripping Springs | 12% | 0% | 3,127 |
| Hays | 25% | 0% | 89 |
| Kyle | 51% | under 1% | 21,218 |
| Mountain City | 17% | 0% | 299 |
| Niederwald | 84% | 1% | 315 |
| San Marcos | 56% | under 1% | 30,349 |
| Uhland | 82% | under 1% | 778 |
| Wimberley | 18% | 0% | 1,437 |
| Woodcreek | 32% | 0% | 1,173 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comal County, TX | 22 mi | 19% | under 1% |
| Travis County, TX | 24 mi | 39% | under 1% |
| Blanco County, TX | 26 mi | 28% | 0% |
| Caldwell County, TX | 29 mi | 59% | 6% |
| Guadalupe County, TX | 33 mi | 52% | 8% |
| Kendall County, TX | 42 mi | 23% | 0% |
| Bastrop County, TX | 43 mi | 52% | 14% |
| Williamson County, TX | 48 mi | 60% | 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status