Liberty County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 46% of Liberty County's mapped land, a higher share than 89% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 76%.
61.2% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 44.5% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 1,272 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 28% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1996.
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 Liberty County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 45.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 76.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 53.0% |
| Mapped soil | 753,293 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Kaman | 12% | n/a |
| Vamont | 7% | n/a |
| Evadale | 7% | n/a |
| Beaumont | 7% | n/a |
| League | 5% | 92% |
| Splendora | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX291 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.9% by land area here, and 53% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 46% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 61.2% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 46% of Liberty County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 76% of Liberty 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: 44.50 in, 12.98 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.48 in.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
61.2% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 22 weeks, most recently on the April 7, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 81.3% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 61.2% |
| D2 severe or worse | 39.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1,272 flood losses since 2016, $80.6 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 590. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 69% slabs, 6% crawl spaces, 25% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 17 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 65 |
| 2017 | 590 |
| 2018 | 12 |
| 2019 | 441 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 146 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.48 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.50 in (-12.98) |
| 2025 | 46.72 in (-10.76) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2017: 84.89 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 26.02 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LIBERTY (10 mi away) | 19.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 36,121 |
| Median year built | 1996 |
| Built before 1980 | 28% |
| Built 2000 or later | 43% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $181,700 |
| Single-family detached | 58% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Liberty County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ames | 8% | 86% | 488 |
| Cleveland | 1% | 74% | 3,207 |
| Daisetta | 43% | 56% | 466 |
| Dayton | 59% | 56% | 3,471 |
| Dayton Lakes | 27% | 86% | 36 |
| Devers | 13% | 86% | 129 |
| Hardin | 37% | 55% | 433 |
| Kenefick | 53% | 48% | 301 |
| Liberty | 51% | 69% | 3,414 |
| North Cleveland | 14% | 31% | 148 |
| Plum Grove | 14% | 50% | 536 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin County, TX | 29 mi | 12% | 67% |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 32 mi | 16% | 42% |
| Chambers County, TX | 36 mi | 63% | 68% |
| Harris County, TX | 39 mi | 25% | 53% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 39 mi | 15% | 65% |
| Polk County, TX | 41 mi | 23% | 45% |
| Jefferson County, TX | 48 mi | 56% | 66% |
| Tyler County, TX | 49 mi | 18% | 34% |
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