Lampasas County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 20% of Lampasas County's mapped land, a higher share than 69% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
73.7% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 25 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 37% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.
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 Lampasas County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 18.8% |
| Mapped soil | 457,024 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Brackett | 39% | 0% |
| Lampasas | 7% | n/a |
| Krum | 6% | n/a |
| Real | 6% | n/a |
| Nuff | 5% | n/a |
| Sunev | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX281 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.8% by land area here, and 19% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 20% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 73.7% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 20% of Lampasas County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 30.96 in, 1.01 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 31.97 in.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
73.7% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 12 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 3 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 73.7% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
25 flood losses since 2016, $643,196 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 15. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 45% slabs, 32% crawl spaces, 23% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.97 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 30.96 in (-1.01) |
| 2025 | 35.48 in (+3.51) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 48.39 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 14.52 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at NIX STORE 1 W (10 mi away) | 9.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,871 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 37% |
| Built 2000 or later | 35% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $250,400 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Lampasas County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnet County, TX | 28 mi | 27% | 0% |
| Coryell County, TX | 29 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| Mills County, TX | 30 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| San Saba County, TX | 34 mi | 45% | 1% |
| Hamilton County, TX | 36 mi | 31% | under 1% |
| Llano County, TX | 43 mi | 16% | 0% |
| Bell County, TX | 46 mi | 55% | 1% |
| Williamson County, TX | 53 mi | 60% | 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