Hudspeth County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1% of Hudspeth County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
13.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Hudspeth County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 64.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.4% |
| Mapped soil | 2,922,906 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Culberspeth | 20% | n/a |
| Bissett | 12% | n/a |
| Chilicotal | 7% | n/a |
| Chispa | 6% | n/a |
| Kahn | 6% | n/a |
| Reyab | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX625 (2025-09-05), TX627 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 9.62 in, 0.90 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 10.52 in.
USDA rates 65% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hudspeth County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
13.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 36 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 50.7% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 13.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 1.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Hudspeth County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 10.52 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 9.62 in (-0.90) |
| 2025 | 8.73 in (-1.79) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 22.21 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 3.76 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FT HANCOCK 8SSE (28 mi away) | 0.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,133 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $64,000 |
| Single-family detached | 49% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Hudspeth County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell City | 0% | 0% | 147 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culberson County, TX | 50 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| El Paso County, TX | 55 mi | 4% | 0% |
| Otero County, NM | 83 mi | 3% | 2% |
| Jeff Davis County, TX | 90 mi | 13% | under 1% |
| Eddy County, NM | 94 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| Reeves County, TX | 99 mi | 11% | 1% |
| Doña Ana County, NM | 106 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Loving County, TX | 117 mi | 2% | 4% |
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