Maverick County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 33% of Maverick County's mapped land, a higher share than 83% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses here since 2016. 23% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1997.
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 Maverick County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 33.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 70.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 39.1% |
| Mapped soil | 827,417 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Elindio | 15% | n/a |
| Copita | 12% | n/a |
| Pryor | 12% | n/a |
| Montell | 11% | n/a |
| Catarina | 7% | n/a |
| Jimenez | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX323 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.1% by land area here, and 39% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 33% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 33% of Maverick County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 20.32 in, 0.57 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 19.75 in.
USDA rates 70% 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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 34 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 | 97.3% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
5 flood losses since 2016, $231,629 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 19.75 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 20.32 in (+0.57) |
| 2025 | 13.00 in (-6.75) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1900: 41.79 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 6.78 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at EAGLE PASS 3N (10 mi away) | 5.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 20,445 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 23% |
| Built 2000 or later | 45% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $158,700 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Maverick County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Pass | 41% | 0% | 10,218 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zavala County, TX | 35 mi | 28% | under 1% |
| Dimmit County, TX | 40 mi | 30% | under 1% |
| Kinney County, TX | 43 mi | 10% | 1% |
| Uvalde County, TX | 54 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Frio County, TX | 74 mi | 10% | under 1% |
| La Salle County, TX | 79 mi | 35% | under 1% |
| Real County, TX | 82 mi | 9% | 0% |
| Medina County, TX | 85 mi | 33% | under 1% |
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