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Marion, Texas
Inside Marion's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 84% of mapped land, the highest of 8 cities in Guadalupe County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is above Guadalupe County's 52%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78124 overlapping the city. Of its 431 homes, 39% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1986.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Guadalupe County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Marion
Foundation repair in Marion: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 84% of Marion's mapped land, more than in 91% of Texas cities.
About 300 of Marion's 431 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Marion city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 83.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 12.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 83.6% |
| Mapped soil | 474 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Branyon | 59% | 92% |
| Houston Black | 25% | 91% |
| Heiden | 4% | 80% |
| Burleson | 3% | 84% |
| Lewisville | 3% | n/a |
| Tinn | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 12.7% by land area here, and 84% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 84% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Guadalupe County is in drought on the latest map, and 84% of Marion's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Guadalupe County
100% of Guadalupe County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Marion. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78124 | 100% | 2 | $0 |
Homes in Marion
| Housing units | 431 |
| Median year built | 1986 |
| Built before 1980 | 39% |
| Built 2000 or later | 34% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $162,100 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 2 mi | 82% | under 1% |
| Cibolo | 4 mi | 78% | under 1% |
| New Berlin | 6 mi | 69% | 1% |
| Schertz | 7 mi | 63% | under 1% |
| New Braunfels | 9 mi | 59% | under 1% |
| Universal City | 10 mi | 63% | 0% |
| Garden Ridge | 10 mi | 21% | under 1% |
| Selma | 10 mi | 60% | 0% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status