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Killeen, Texas
Inside Killeen's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 47% of mapped land, higher than 55% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is below Bell County's 55%. FEMA's flood data list 26 flood losses since 2016 in the 4 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 65,793 homes, 25% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1996.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Bell County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 4 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Killeen city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 47.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 67.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 65.5% |
| Mapped soil | 35,740 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Purves | 23% | 40% |
| Denton | 19% | n/a |
| San Saba | 12% | n/a |
| Lewisville | 9% | n/a |
| Brackett | 6% | 0% |
| Slidell | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.4% by land area here, and 66% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 47% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Bell County is in drought on the latest map, and 47% of Killeen's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 68% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Bell County
100% of Bell County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Killeen. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76542 | 40% | 10 | $108,824 |
| 76549 | 27% | 6 | $26,201 |
| 76543 | 21% | 3 | $0 |
| 76541 | 9% | 7 | $101,872 |
Homes in Killeen
| Housing units | 65,793 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 25% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 50% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $215,400 |
| Single-family detached | 61% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harker Heights | 5 mi | 44% | under 1% |
| Nolanville | 8 mi | 64% | under 1% |
| Copperas Cove | 11 mi | 25% | 0% |
| Kempner | 14 mi | 11% | 0% |
| Salado | 15 mi | 46% | under 1% |
| Belton | 15 mi | 46% | under 1% |
| Florence | 17 mi | 74% | under 1% |
| Morgan's Point Resort | 17 mi | 5% | 0% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status