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La Villa, Texas

Inside La Villa's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 24% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.

That clay share is above Hidalgo County's 12%. FEMA's flood data list 12 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78562 overlapping the city. Of its 650 homes, 28% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1992.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hidalgo County

24%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

2%

high water table: limits basements

12

flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP

28%

of homes built before 1980

Foundation repair in La Villa

Foundation repair in La Villa: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 24% of La Villa's mapped land.

About 600 of La Villa's 650 homes are detached houses.

Who designs the repairThe ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines)
PricesCost guide ranges compared

Soil under La Villa city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)24.4%
High water table (limits basements)2.1%
Septic fields very limited26.7%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)4.4%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)24.4%
Urban land, not rated8.7%
Mapped soil381 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Hidalgo43%0%
Raymondville26%n/a
Willacy7%n/a
Racombes6%n/a
Rio2%n/a
Mercedes1%n/a
Hidalgo CountyLa Villa
La Villa city limits inside Hidalgo County, shaded by the city's expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.4% by land area here, and 24% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 24% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Hidalgo County is in drought on the latest map, and 24% of La Villa's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

Drought in Hidalgo County

100% of Hidalgo County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Flood losses by ZIP code

FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap La Villa. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIPShare of city landFlood lossesPaid
78562100%12$281,472

Homes in La Villa

Housing units650
Median year built1992
Built before 198028%
Built 2000 or later42%
Owner-occupied84%
Median value, owner-occupied$101,000
Single-family detached87%

Nearby cities

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Edcouch 2 mi 20% under 1%
Elsa 4 mi 18% 2%
Santa Rosa 7 mi 50% 2%
Mercedes 10 mi 40% under 1%
Weslaco 10 mi 16% under 1%
Donna 11 mi 26% 1%
La Feria 12 mi 24% under 1%
Lyford 12 mi 6% 11%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status