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Idalou, Texas
Inside Idalou's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 34% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 9 cities in Lubbock County. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.
That clay share is below Lubbock County's 42%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79329 overlapping the city. Of its 1,003 homes, 65% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1969.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lubbock 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 Idalou
Foundation repair in Idalou: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 34% of Idalou's mapped land.
About 900 of Idalou's 1,003 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 Idalou city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 34.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 33.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 29.6% |
| Mapped soil | 646 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.6% by land area here, and 30% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 34% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 64.1% of Lubbock County is in drought on the latest map, and 34% of Idalou's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Drought in Lubbock County
64.1% of Lubbock 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 Idalou. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79329 | 100% | 1 | $0 |
Homes in Idalou
| Housing units | 1,003 |
| Median year built | 1969 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $211,000 |
| Single-family detached | 86% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorenzo | 9 mi | 94% | 3% |
| Buffalo Springs Lake | 9 mi | 2% | 0% |
| Ransom Canyon | 9 mi | 8% | 1% |
| New Deal | 10 mi | 79% | 5% |
| Lubbock | 14 mi | 23% | 3% |
| Abernathy | 15 mi | 73% | 7% |
| Slaton | 15 mi | 8% | 2% |
| Petersburg | 15 mi | 95% | 1% |
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