Limestone County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 61% of Limestone County's mapped land, a higher share than 94% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 10%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 55 flood losses here since 2016. 45% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
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 Limestone County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 61.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 9.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 64.2% |
| Mapped soil | 597,088 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Crockett | 14% | 94% |
| Wilson | 8% | 88% |
| Edge | 8% | n/a |
| Heiden | 6% | 80% |
| Houston Black | 5% | 91% |
| Silstid | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX293 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.7% by land area here, and 64% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 61% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 61% of Limestone County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 28.07 in, 12.37 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 40.44 in.
USDA rates 73% 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 33 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 18 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 | 87.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 1.7% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
55 flood losses since 2016, $1.3 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 31. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 31 |
| 2017 | 10 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 40.44 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 28.07 in (-12.37) |
| 2025 | 40.13 in (-0.31) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 61.20 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 20.84 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at THORNTON 1SSE (11 mi away) | 12.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 10,443 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $164,200 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Limestone County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freestone County, TX | 28 mi | 37% | 18% |
| Falls County, TX | 29 mi | 72% | 2% |
| Navarro County, TX | 35 mi | 75% | 8% |
| McLennan County, TX | 36 mi | 56% | under 1% |
| Robertson County, TX | 36 mi | 31% | 19% |
| Leon County, TX | 39 mi | 16% | 23% |
| Hill County, TX | 44 mi | 53% | 2% |
| Madison County, TX | 56 mi | 52% | 48% |
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