Hood County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18% of Hood County's mapped land, a higher share than 67% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 9%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 65 flood losses here since 2016, 4% of them in buildings with basements. 21% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1998.
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 Hood County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 65.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 9.9% |
| Mapped soil | 282,265 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Aledo | 10% | n/a |
| Windthorst | 9% | 37% |
| Bolar | 9% | n/a |
| Eckrant | 8% | 8% |
| Sunev | 8% | n/a |
| Selden | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX609 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% by land area here, and 10% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 18% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Hood County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 26.98 in, 8.12 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.10 in.
USDA rates 66% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 23 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 9 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 | 58.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
65 flood losses since 2016, $1.9 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 40. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 4% basements, 74% slabs, 22% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 4 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 40 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 35.10 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 26.98 in (-8.12) |
| 2025 | 36.18 in (+1.08) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 58.12 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1901: 18.54 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at RAINBOW (14 mi away) | 10.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 29,066 |
| Median year built | 1998 |
| Built before 1980 | 21% |
| Built 2000 or later | 48% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $306,400 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Hood County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeCordova | 26% | 1% | 1,768 |
| Granbury | 30% | 10% | 6,134 |
| Lipan | 61% | 8% | 158 |
| Stockton Bend | 2% | under 1% | 242 |
| Tolar | 23% | 60% | 457 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somervell County, TX | 15 mi | 13% | 4% |
| Parker County, TX | 24 mi | 21% | 5% |
| Erath County, TX | 26 mi | 20% | 6% |
| Johnson County, TX | 27 mi | 51% | 4% |
| Palo Pinto County, TX | 36 mi | 19% | 1% |
| Bosque County, TX | 38 mi | 29% | 1% |
| Tarrant County, TX | 39 mi | 41% | 4% |
| Hill County, TX | 51 mi | 53% | 2% |
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