McCulloch County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 29% of McCulloch County's mapped land, a higher share than 79% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
97.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 64% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1971.
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 McCulloch County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 28.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | under 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 53.6% |
| Mapped soil | 687,686 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Tarrant | 32% | n/a |
| Rowena | 8% | n/a |
| Mereta | 8% | n/a |
| Valera | 4% | n/a |
| Leeray | 4% | n/a |
| Kavett | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX307 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.8% by land area here, and 54% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 29% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 97.8% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 29% of McCulloch County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 26.86 in, 0.21 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 27.07 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
97.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 12 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 97.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 68.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0.1% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $18,990 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 27.07 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 26.86 in (-0.21) |
| 2025 | 28.37 in (+1.30) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 44.38 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 10.95 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BRADY (4 mi away) | 8.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,219 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 64% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $150,500 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in McCulloch County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concho County, TX | 31 mi | 32% | under 1% |
| San Saba County, TX | 32 mi | 45% | 1% |
| Mason County, TX | 35 mi | 15% | 0% |
| Menard County, TX | 37 mi | 12% | 0% |
| Brown County, TX | 44 mi | 40% | 1% |
| Mills County, TX | 49 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| Coleman County, TX | 49 mi | 48% | 0% |
| Llano County, TX | 53 mi | 16% | 0% |
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