Hidalgo County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 12% of Hidalgo County's mapped land, a higher share than 59% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 6%.
100% of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2,496 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 18% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2000.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Hidalgo County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 12.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 6.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 26.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 12.0% |
| Mapped soil | 1,012,230 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo | 19% | 0% |
| Brennan | 9% | n/a |
| Nueces | 9% | n/a |
| McAllen | 6% | n/a |
| Willacy | 5% | n/a |
| Delfina | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX215 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 18.32 in, 4.81 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 23.13 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 12% and a shallow water table on 6% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hidalgo County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 19 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, September 22, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 21.6% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2,496 flood losses since 2016, $97.7 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 843. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 89% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 6% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 32 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 728 |
| 2019 | 252 |
| 2020 | 843 |
| 2021 | 134 |
| 2022 | 17 |
| 2023 | 13 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 441 |
| 2026 to date | 25 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 23.13 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 18.32 in (-4.81) |
| 2025 | 22.79 in (-0.34) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1967: 41.69 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1898: 7.57 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MCALLEN MILLER INTL AP (16 mi away) | 5.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 308,556 |
| Median year built | 2000 |
| Built before 1980 | 18% |
| Built 2000 or later | 49% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $140,900 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Hidalgo County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alamo | 11% | 0% | 7,700 |
| Alton | under 1% | 1% | 6,029 |
| Donna | 26% | 1% | 5,865 |
| Edcouch | 20% | under 1% | 1,156 |
| Edinburg | 4% | 2% | 39,242 |
| Elsa | 18% | 2% | 2,181 |
| Granjeno | 57% | 0% | 140 |
| Hidalgo | 52% | 1% | 4,195 |
| La Joya | 2% | 3% | 1,817 |
| La Villa | 24% | 2% | 650 |
| McAllen | 18% | 2% | 55,385 |
| Mercedes | 40% | under 1% | 6,031 |
| Mission | 25% | 5% | 33,423 |
| Palmhurst | 0% | 1% | 921 |
| Palmview | 7% | 1% | 5,940 |
| Penitas | 5% | 3% | 1,980 |
| Pharr | 46% | 2% | 27,086 |
| Progreso | 73% | 2% | 1,351 |
| Progreso Lakes | 50% | 6% | 91 |
| San Juan | 32% | 1% | 11,342 |
| Sullivan City | 3% | 4% | 1,297 |
| Weslaco | 16% | under 1% | 17,372 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starr County, TX | 36 mi | 14% | 1% |
| Willacy County, TX | 36 mi | 18% | 34% |
| Brooks County, TX | 44 mi | 1% | 9% |
| Cameron County, TX | 48 mi | 29% | 26% |
| Kenedy County, TX | 50 mi | 1% | 39% |
| Jim Hogg County, TX | 57 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Zapata County, TX | 75 mi | 17% | under 1% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 79 mi | 31% | 18% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status