Laredo, Texas
Inside Laredo's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 10% of mapped land, the highest of 3 cities in Webb County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is below Webb County's 33%. FEMA's flood data list 37 flood losses since 2016 in the 5 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 84,111 homes, 24% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1997.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Webb County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 5 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Laredo city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 9.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 9.7% |
| Mapped soil | 70,656 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Copita | 36% | n/a |
| Verick | 16% | n/a |
| Lagloria | 10% | n/a |
| Maverick | 6% | n/a |
| Catarina | 5% | n/a |
| Jimenez | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 75% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 10% and a shallow water table on under 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Laredo; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Webb County
100% of Webb County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Laredo. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78045 | 47% | 11 | $498,327 |
| 78046 | 20% | 0 | $0 |
| 78041 | 16% | 13 | $126,328 |
| 78043 | 12% | 8 | $110,538 |
| 78040 | 6% | 5 | $74,135 |
Homes in Laredo
| Housing units | 84,111 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 24% |
| Built 2000 or later | 44% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $193,500 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Bravo | 14 mi | 0% | 0% |
| El Cenizo | 16 mi | 0% | 0% |
| Encinal | 34 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Freer | 58 mi | 3% | under 1% |
| Cotulla | 62 mi | 3% | under 1% |
| Asherton | 63 mi | 8% | 0% |
| Benavides | 66 mi | 10% | under 1% |
| Big Wells | 70 mi | 47% | under 1% |
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