Hockley County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 7% of Hockley County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, after 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses here since 2016. 54% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
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 Hockley County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 13.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.4% |
| Mapped soil | 581,556 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX219 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.54 in, 7.37 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 17.91 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hockley County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 40 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 | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
6 flood losses since 2016, $11,356 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 17.91 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.54 in (-7.37) |
| 2025 | 16.76 in (-1.15) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 40.18 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 6.60 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LEVELLAND (4 mi away) | 4.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,233 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $127,000 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Hockley County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anton | 86% | 0% | 522 |
| Levelland | 3% | 2% | 5,408 |
| Opdyke West | 8% | under 1% | 117 |
| Ropesville | 1% | 0% | 223 |
| Smyer | 5% | 1% | 159 |
| Sundown | 1% | under 1% | 543 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cochran County, TX | 28 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Terry County, TX | 30 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Lubbock County, TX | 30 mi | 42% | 4% |
| Lamb County, TX | 32 mi | 14% | 2% |
| Yoakum County, TX | 42 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Lynn County, TX | 42 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Bailey County, TX | 42 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Hale County, TX | 44 mi | 83% | 7% |
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