Kleberg County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 31% of Kleberg County's mapped land, a higher share than 82% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 18%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 50 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.
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 Kleberg County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 31.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 17.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 62.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 31.3% |
| Mapped soil | 648,768 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 12% | 99% |
| Palobia | 12% | n/a |
| Colmena | 8% | n/a |
| Cranell | 6% | n/a |
| Czar | 5% | n/a |
| Banquete | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX613 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.0% by land area here, and 31% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 31% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 31% of Kleberg County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 18% of Kleberg County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 22.70 in, 4.62 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 27.32 in.
USDA rates 62% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 36 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 | 0.1% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
50 flood losses since 2016, $1.1 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 24. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 87% slabs, 13% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 24 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 20 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 27.32 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 22.70 in (-4.62) |
| 2025 | 18.74 in (-8.58) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 51.07 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 11.66 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at KINGSVILLE NAAS (10 mi away) | 8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 14,012 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 53% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $161,300 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Kleberg County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsville | 62% | 1% | 11,322 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nueces County, TX | 23 mi | 56% | 9% |
| Jim Wells County, TX | 33 mi | 27% | 19% |
| Kenedy County, TX | 38 mi | 1% | 39% |
| San Patricio County, TX | 41 mi | 58% | 14% |
| Brooks County, TX | 44 mi | 1% | 9% |
| Duval County, TX | 54 mi | 4% | under 1% |
| Aransas County, TX | 63 mi | 18% | 35% |
| Willacy County, TX | 66 mi | 18% | 34% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status