Kent County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 12% of Kent County's mapped land, a higher share than 58% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 63% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Kent County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 11.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 75.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.3% |
| Mapped soil | 576,173 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX263 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.48 in, 11.36 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 21.84 in.
USDA rates 76% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 12% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Kent County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 49 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 40 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 | 62.6% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Kent County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 21.84 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.48 in (-11.36) |
| 2025 | 18.94 in (-2.90) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2004: 39.96 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 7.27 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at JAYTON (12 mi away) | 6.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 523 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 63% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $122,200 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Kent County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jayton | 1% | 1% | 254 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dickens County, TX | 30 mi | 11% | 1% |
| Stonewall County, TX | 30 mi | 19% | under 1% |
| Garza County, TX | 31 mi | 32% | 2% |
| Scurry County, TX | 32 mi | 19% | 1% |
| Fisher County, TX | 37 mi | 8% | under 1% |
| Crosby County, TX | 42 mi | 54% | 4% |
| King County, TX | 42 mi | 13% | under 1% |
| Borden County, TX | 50 mi | 38% | 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