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Midland, Texas
Inside Midland's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 5% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.
That clay share is close to Midland County's 3%. FEMA's flood data list 11 flood losses since 2016 in the 5 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 57,260 homes, 36% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1989.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Midland County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 5 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Midland
Foundation repair in Midland: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 5% of Midland's mapped land.
About 36,500 of Midland's 57,260 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 Midland city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 4.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 43.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.2% |
| Mapped soil | 48,892 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Amarillo | 27% | 0% |
| Midessa | 17% | n/a |
| Kimbrough | 11% | n/a |
| Sharvana | 8% | n/a |
| Arvana | 7% | n/a |
| Slaughter | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
With shrink-swell clay on 5% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Midland; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Midland covers 76.2 square miles of land and counts 57,260 housing units, about 751 per square mile.
65% of Midland's occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $319,200; 39% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under Midland is Amarillo, on 27% of the mapped land, followed by Midessa at 17%.
Clay swell, measured as linear extensibility, averages 3.1% across Midland's 48,892 mapped acres.
Drought in Midland County
100% of Midland County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Midland. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79705 | 42% | 3 | $63,850 |
| 79707 | 23% | 2 | $4,309 |
| 79701 | 15% | 1 | $7,716 |
| 79706 | 13% | 4 | $63,260 |
| 79703 | 7% | 1 | $1,733 |
Homes in Midland
| Housing units | 57,260 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 39% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $319,200 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odessa | 17 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Stanton | 20 mi | 3% | 4% |
| Goldsmith | 30 mi | 0% | 0% |
| Andrews | 33 mi | 0% | 0% |
| Big Spring | 40 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Ackerly | 42 mi | 3% | 0% |
| Forsan | 44 mi | 11% | 0% |
| Crane | 46 mi | 0% | 0% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status