Kendall County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23% of Kendall County's mapped land, a higher share than 73% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 54 flood losses here since 2016, 7% of them in buildings with basements. 17% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 2002.
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 Kendall County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.9% |
| Mapped soil | 424,167 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX259 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.2% by land area here, and 23% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.16 in, 1.78 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 32.94 in.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 37 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 25 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
54 flood losses since 2016, $1.3 million paid. The worst year was 2026, with 26. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 7% basements, 50% slabs, 29% crawl spaces, 14% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 16 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 |
| 2026 to date | 26 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 32.94 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.16 in (-1.78) |
| 2025 | 28.33 in (-4.61) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 55.80 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 11.92 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NORTHINGTON RCH (6 mi away) | 11.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 19,213 |
| Median year built | 2002 |
| Built before 1980 | 17% |
| Built 2000 or later | 56% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $512,700 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Kendall County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boerne | 43% | 0% | 8,240 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comal County, TX | 29 mi | 19% | under 1% |
| Blanco County, TX | 29 mi | 28% | 0% |
| Gillespie County, TX | 30 mi | 23% | 0% |
| Bandera County, TX | 35 mi | 17% | 0% |
| Bexar County, TX | 36 mi | 51% | under 1% |
| Kerr County, TX | 41 mi | 33% | under 1% |
| Hays County, TX | 42 mi | 14% | under 1% |
| Medina County, TX | 47 mi | 33% | 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