Jackson County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 67% of Jackson County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 24%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 94.7% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 65 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 53% 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 Jackson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 67.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 24.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 68.8% |
| Mapped soil | 548,730 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Dacosta | 23% | n/a |
| Laewest | 23% | 94% |
| Texana | 7% | n/a |
| Cieno | 6% | n/a |
| Inez | 6% | n/a |
| Morales | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX239 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.7% by land area here, and 69% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 67% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 67% of Jackson County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 24% of Jackson County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 33.65 in, 8.42 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 42.07 in.
USDA rates 85% 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 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 30 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 | 5.6% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
65 flood losses since 2016, $1.2 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 30. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 83% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 12% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 7 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 30 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 14 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 42.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 33.65 in (-8.42) |
| 2025 | 34.92 in (-7.15) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2004: 65.42 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 15.97 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PT COMFORT (21 mi away) | 12.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,029 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 53% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $203,900 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Jackson County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria County, TX | 26 mi | 65% | 35% |
| Wharton County, TX | 31 mi | 68% | 32% |
| Lavaca County, TX | 35 mi | 48% | 37% |
| Calhoun County, TX | 36 mi | 33% | 31% |
| Matagorda County, TX | 38 mi | 62% | 28% |
| Colorado County, TX | 44 mi | 37% | 24% |
| DeWitt County, TX | 48 mi | 27% | 17% |
| Goliad County, TX | 55 mi | 24% | 21% |
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