Howard County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 24% of Howard County's mapped land, a higher share than 75% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 9 flood losses here since 2016. 73% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1966.
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 Howard County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 48.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.6% |
| Mapped soil | 578,630 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX227 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.9% by land area here, and 23% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 24% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 24% of Howard County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 11.96 in, 6.57 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.53 in.
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 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 27 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
9 flood losses since 2016, $332,560 paid. The worst year was 2023, with 6.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.53 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 11.96 in (-6.57) |
| 2025 | 14.61 in (-3.92) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 34.76 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 4.84 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BIG SPRING (4 mi away) | 6.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 14,048 |
| Median year built | 1966 |
| Built before 1980 | 73% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $155,600 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Howard County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Spring | 7% | 1% | 10,462 |
| Coahoma | 1% | under 1% | 352 |
| Forsan | 11% | 0% | 142 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell County, TX | 30 mi | 34% | under 1% |
| Borden County, TX | 30 mi | 38% | 1% |
| Glasscock County, TX | 30 mi | 17% | 1% |
| Martin County, TX | 31 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Sterling County, TX | 39 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Dawson County, TX | 42 mi | 4% | 2% |
| Scurry County, TX | 43 mi | 19% | 1% |
| Midland County, TX | 47 mi | 3% | 1% |
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