Midland County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3% of Midland County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 14 flood losses here since 2016. 32% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1992.
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 Midland County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 60.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.6% |
| Mapped soil | 577,210 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Amarillo | 21% | 0% |
| Upton | 19% | n/a |
| Reagan | 15% | n/a |
| Kimbrough | 7% | n/a |
| Midessa | 6% | n/a |
| Arvana | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX329 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 9.85 in, 4.63 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 14.48 in.
USDA rates 61% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 3% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Midland County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
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 29 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
14 flood losses since 2016, $345,016 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 5.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 14.48 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 9.85 in (-4.63) |
| 2025 | 9.37 in (-5.11) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 31.98 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 4.72 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MIDLAND ODESSA (14 mi away) | 2.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 72,723 |
| Median year built | 1992 |
| Built before 1980 | 32% |
| Built 2000 or later | 42% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $312,700 |
| Single-family detached | 61% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Midland County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midland | 5% | 2% | 57,260 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasscock County, TX | 28 mi | 17% | 1% |
| Ector County, TX | 32 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Upton County, TX | 32 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| Martin County, TX | 34 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Crane County, TX | 41 mi | 1% | under 1% |
| Reagan County, TX | 42 mi | 15% | 1% |
| Howard County, TX | 47 mi | 24% | 1% |
| Andrews County, TX | 51 mi | 2% | 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