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Mesquite, Texas
Inside Mesquite's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 74% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 24 cities in Dallas County. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
That clay share is above Dallas County's 51%. FEMA's flood data list 27 flood losses since 2016 in the 4 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 53,953 homes, 41% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1983.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Dallas County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 4 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Mesquite city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 74.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 12.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 75.4% |
| Urban land, not rated | 10.1% |
| Mapped soil | 31,544 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Black | 26% | 91% |
| Heiden | 15% | 80% |
| Trinity | 12% | n/a |
| Ferris | 9% | n/a |
| Branyon | 5% | 92% |
| Burleson | 5% | 84% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 12.9% by land area here, and 75% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 74% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Dallas County is in drought on the latest map, and 74% of Mesquite's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Dallas County
100% of Dallas 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 Mesquite. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75149 | 32% | 11 | $153,361 |
| 75181 | 32% | 1 | $75,333 |
| 75150 | 26% | 2 | $4,430 |
| 75126 | 10% | 13 | $467,237 |
Homes in Mesquite
| Housing units | 53,953 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 41% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $245,700 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
Nearby cities
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