Kinney County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 10% of Kinney County's mapped land, a higher share than 56% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
83.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 42% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Kinney County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.7% |
| Mapped soil | 872,659 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Olmos | 21% | n/a |
| Uvalde | 20% | n/a |
| Ector | 10% | 0% |
| Tarrant | 7% | n/a |
| Langtry | 7% | n/a |
| Montell | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX271 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 25.72 in, 3.31 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 22.41 in.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 10% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Kinney County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
83.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 36 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 99.7% of its area, in 4 weeks, most recently on the April 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 99.6% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 83.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 29.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 22.41 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 25.72 in (+3.31) |
| 2025 | 11.16 in (-11.25) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1900: 43.65 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 7.26 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BRACKETTVILLE 22 N (18 mi away) | 7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,482 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 5% |
| Owner-occupied | 84% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $82,000 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Kinney County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brackettville | 15% | 0% | 587 |
| Spofford | 12% | under 1% | 18 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uvalde County, TX | 39 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Maverick County, TX | 43 mi | 33% | under 1% |
| Edwards County, TX | 45 mi | 4% | 0% |
| Real County, TX | 49 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Zavala County, TX | 52 mi | 28% | under 1% |
| Val Verde County, TX | 57 mi | 1% | under 1% |
| Dimmit County, TX | 75 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Bandera County, TX | 76 mi | 17% | 0% |
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