Kerr County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 33% of Kerr County's mapped land, a higher share than 82% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 210 flood losses here since 2016, 2% of them in buildings with basements. 36% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1987.
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 Kerr County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 32.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 40.0% |
| Mapped soil | 706,003 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Eckrant | 21% | 8% |
| Harper | 19% | n/a |
| Tarpley | 10% | n/a |
| Kerrville | 9% | n/a |
| Noxville | 6% | n/a |
| Prade | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX265 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.4% by land area here, and 40% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 33% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 32.11 in, 3.25 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 28.86 in.
USDA rates 85% 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 34 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the November 18, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 56.7% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
210 flood losses since 2016, $20.1 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 125. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 2% basements, 75% slabs, 10% crawl spaces, 13% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 45 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 125 |
| 2026 to date | 63 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 28.86 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 32.11 in (+3.25) |
| 2025 | 30.10 in (+1.24) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 54.39 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 12.34 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at INGRAM 2NW (8 mi away) | 8.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 25,632 |
| Median year built | 1987 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $321,200 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Kerr County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandera County, TX | 22 mi | 17% | 0% |
| Real County, TX | 30 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Gillespie County, TX | 32 mi | 23% | 0% |
| Kimble County, TX | 37 mi | 6% | 0% |
| Kendall County, TX | 41 mi | 23% | 0% |
| Mason County, TX | 46 mi | 15% | 0% |
| Medina County, TX | 51 mi | 33% | under 1% |
| Uvalde County, TX | 54 mi | 23% | 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