Jones County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 54% of Jones County's mapped land, a higher share than 92% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 28 flood losses here since 2016. 67% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1969.
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 Jones County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 54.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 40.6% |
| Mapped soil | 597,273 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX253 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 41% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 54% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 54% of Jones County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 16.28 in, 8.79 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 25.07 in.
USDA rates 82% 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 44 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 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 | 83.3% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
28 flood losses since 2016, $1.4 million paid. The worst year was 2021, with 16.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 25.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 16.28 in (-8.79) |
| 2025 | 22.02 in (-3.05) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 41.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 9.59 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ANSON (2 mi away) | 8.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,062 |
| Median year built | 1969 |
| Built before 1980 | 67% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $96,500 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Jones County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fisher County, TX | 31 mi | 8% | under 1% |
| Shackelford County, TX | 31 mi | 43% | under 1% |
| Taylor County, TX | 31 mi | 45% | under 1% |
| Haskell County, TX | 31 mi | 59% | 2% |
| Stonewall County, TX | 37 mi | 19% | under 1% |
| Callahan County, TX | 43 mi | 60% | 2% |
| Nolan County, TX | 43 mi | 13% | 1% |
| Throckmorton County, TX | 49 mi | 49% | under 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