Jefferson County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 56% of Jefferson County's mapped land, a higher share than 93% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 66%.
100% of the county is in drought on the November 3, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 10,724 flood losses here since 2016, under 1% of them in buildings with basements. 54% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1978.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, November 3, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Jefferson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 55.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 66.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 9.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 58.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 8.8% |
| Mapped soil | 635,053 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| League | 13% | 92% |
| Beaumont | 9% | n/a |
| Labelle | 8% | n/a |
| Levac | 5% | n/a |
| Meaton | 4% | n/a |
| Leerco | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX623 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 9.0% by land area here, and 58% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 56% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 56% of Jefferson County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 66% of Jefferson 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: 47.86 in, 12.20 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 60.06 in.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 11 weeks, most recently on the November 3, 2026 map.
| Category, November 3, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 14.7% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
10,724 flood losses since 2016, $1.01 billion paid. The worst year was 2017, with 7,338. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 90% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 8% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 15 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 46 |
| 2017 | 7,338 |
| 2018 | 148 |
| 2019 | 2,771 |
| 2020 | 110 |
| 2021 | 131 |
| 2022 | 39 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 46 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 to date | 78 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 60.06 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 47.86 in (-12.20) |
| 2025 | 47.84 in (-12.22) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2017: 95.03 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 27.73 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PORT ARTHUR SE TX AP (10 mi away) | 18.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 109,884 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $169,500 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Jefferson County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumont | 28% | 28% | 52,439 |
| Bevil Oaks | 25% | 80% | 533 |
| China | 50% | 51% | 563 |
| Groves | 1% | 1% | 6,796 |
| Nederland | under 1% | under 1% | 8,118 |
| Nome | 47% | 51% | 159 |
| Port Arthur | 31% | 41% | 25,631 |
| Port Neches | 29% | 28% | 6,262 |
| Taylor Landing | 30% | 55% | 104 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County, TX | 24 mi | 26% | 65% |
| Chambers County, TX | 33 mi | 63% | 68% |
| Hardin County, TX | 36 mi | 12% | 67% |
| Liberty County, TX | 48 mi | 46% | 76% |
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | 54 mi | 18% | 84% |
| Cameron Parish, LA | 59 mi | 38% | 72% |
| Galveston County, TX | 62 mi | 23% | 61% |
| Jasper County, TX | 63 mi | 15% | 43% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status