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Hereford, Texas
Inside Hereford's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 78% of mapped land, higher than 83% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
That clay share is above Deaf Smith County's 70%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79045 overlapping the city. Of its 5,522 homes, 73% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1970.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Deaf Smith 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 Hereford
Foundation repair in Hereford: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 78% of Hereford's mapped land, more than in 83% of Texas cities.
About 4,400 of Hereford's 5,522 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 Hereford city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 77.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 76.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 68.5% |
| Mapped soil | 4,047 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 69% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 78% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 29.8% of Deaf Smith County is in drought on the latest map, and 78% of Hereford's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Deaf Smith County
29.8% of Deaf Smith 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 Hereford. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79045 | 100% | 2 | $21,071 |
Homes in Hereford
| Housing units | 5,522 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 73% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $109,700 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
Nearby cities
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