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Lubbock, Texas
Inside Lubbock's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 9 cities in Lubbock County. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%, the 4th-highest of 9 cities in Lubbock County.
That clay share is below Lubbock County's 42%. FEMA's flood data list 27 flood losses since 2016 in the 12 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 118,143 homes, 45% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1984.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Lubbock County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 12 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Lubbock city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 20.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 13.2% |
| Urban land, not rated | 14.5% |
| Mapped soil | 92,572 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Amarillo | 24% | 0% |
| Acuff | 23% | 1% |
| Estacado | 11% | n/a |
| Olton | 10% | 91% |
| Friona | 1% | n/a |
| Randall | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.2% by land area here, and 13% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Lubbock County is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of Lubbock's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Drought in Lubbock County
100% of Lubbock County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Lubbock. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79403 | 22% | 0 | $0 |
| 79424 | 16% | 2 | $0 |
| 79416 | 12% | 1 | $3,213 |
| 79404 | 10% | 2 | $67,216 |
| 79413 | 4% | 2 | $0 |
| 79412 | 2% | 2 | $1,070 |
| 79414 | 2% | 8 | $248,893 |
| 79401 | 2% | 1 | $7,814 |
| 79410 | 2% | 8 | $49,829 |
| 79411 | 1% | 1 | $8,565 |
| 79406 | 1% | 0 | $0 |
| 79402 | 0% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Lubbock
| Housing units | 118,143 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 33% |
| Owner-occupied | 51% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $212,400 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfforth | 8 mi | 13% | 5% |
| Shallowater | 11 mi | 47% | 1% |
| Buffalo Springs Lake | 11 mi | 2% | 0% |
| Ransom Canyon | 12 mi | 8% | 1% |
| New Deal | 12 mi | 79% | 5% |
| Idalou | 14 mi | 34% | 2% |
| Slaton | 16 mi | 8% | 2% |
| Smyer | 16 mi | 5% | 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