Lubbock County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 42% of Lubbock County's mapped land, a higher share than 88% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 4%.
100% of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 34 flood losses here since 2016. 44% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Lubbock County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 42.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 40.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 33.4% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.7% |
| Mapped soil | 576,416 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX303 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 33% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 42% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 42% of Lubbock County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 11.17 in, 7.80 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 18.97 in.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 43 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, September 22, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 10.7% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
34 flood losses since 2016, $539,141 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 21.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 21 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 18.97 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 11.17 in (-7.80) |
| 2025 | 17.84 in (-1.13) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 40.25 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 6.26 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LUBBOCK (3 mi away) | 4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 139,344 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 44% |
| Built 2000 or later | 33% |
| Owner-occupied | 56% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $214,100 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Lubbock County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abernathy | 73% | 7% | 1,273 |
| Buffalo Springs Lake | 2% | 0% | 413 |
| Idalou | 34% | 2% | 1,003 |
| Lubbock | 23% | 3% | 118,143 |
| New Deal | 79% | 5% | 293 |
| Ransom Canyon | 8% | 1% | 511 |
| Shallowater | 47% | 1% | 1,121 |
| Slaton | 8% | 2% | 2,336 |
| Wolfforth | 13% | 5% | 2,399 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn County, TX | 30 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Crosby County, TX | 30 mi | 54% | 4% |
| Hockley County, TX | 30 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Hale County, TX | 32 mi | 83% | 7% |
| Garza County, TX | 42 mi | 32% | 2% |
| Terry County, TX | 43 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Floyd County, TX | 44 mi | 84% | 10% |
| Lamb County, TX | 44 mi | 14% | 2% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status