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Hidalgo, Texas
Inside Hidalgo's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 52% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 22 cities in Hidalgo County. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
That clay share is above Hidalgo County's 12%. FEMA's flood data list 31 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78557 overlapping the city. Of its 4,195 homes, 2% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2004.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo
Foundation repair in Hidalgo: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 52% of Hidalgo's mapped land, more than in 59% of Texas cities.
About 3,700 of Hidalgo's 4,195 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 Hidalgo city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 52.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 63.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 52.5% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.5% |
| Mapped soil | 5,397 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Runn | 29% | n/a |
| Harlingen | 15% | n/a |
| Reynosa | 13% | n/a |
| Cameron | 6% | n/a |
| Rio Grande | 5% | n/a |
| Laredo | 4% | 0% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.2% by land area here, and 52% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 52% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Hidalgo County is in drought on the latest map, and 52% of Hidalgo's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 63% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hidalgo County
100% of Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78557 | 100% | 31 | $2.2 million |
Homes in Hidalgo
| Housing units | 4,195 |
| Median year built | 2004 |
| Built before 1980 | 2% |
| Built 2000 or later | 67% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $163,600 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
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