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New Braunfels, Texas
Inside New Braunfels' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 59% of mapped land, the highest of 5 cities in Comal County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is above Comal County's 19%. FEMA's flood data list 32 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 44,517 homes, 20% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2006.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Comal County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under New Braunfels city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 59.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 9.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 62.1% |
| Mapped soil | 29,141 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Branyon | 21% | 92% |
| Houston Black | 16% | 91% |
| Heiden | 11% | 80% |
| Lewisville | 6% | n/a |
| Rumple | 5% | n/a |
| Krum | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 9.3% by land area here, and 62% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 59% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 49.8% of Comal County is in drought on the latest map, and 59% of New Braunfels' mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Comal County
49.8% of Comal County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap New Braunfels. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78130 | 79% | 24 | $156,254 |
| 78132 | 20% | 8 | $239,731 |
Homes in New Braunfels
| Housing units | 44,517 |
| Median year built | 2006 |
| Built before 1980 | 20% |
| Built 2000 or later | 63% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $339,400 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 8 mi | 82% | under 1% |
| Marion | 9 mi | 84% | under 1% |
| Cibolo | 11 mi | 78% | under 1% |
| Garden Ridge | 11 mi | 21% | under 1% |
| Seguin | 12 mi | 74% | 2% |
| Schertz | 12 mi | 63% | under 1% |
| Selma | 14 mi | 60% | 0% |
| New Berlin | 15 mi | 69% | 1% |
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