Nolan County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 13% of Nolan County's mapped land, a higher share than 61% of US counties. 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 18 flood losses here since 2016. 76% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1965.
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 Nolan County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 13.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 12.8% |
| Mapped soil | 586,291 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Oplin | 25% | n/a |
| Pyron | 9% | n/a |
| Dermott | 4% | n/a |
| Shep | 4% | n/a |
| Quinlan | 4% | n/a |
| Sagerton | 4% | 88% |
How we count · survey areas TX353 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 17.00 in, 6.12 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 23.12 in.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 13% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Nolan 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 39 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 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 | 15.9% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
18 flood losses since 2016, $753,425 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 14.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 14 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 23.12 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 17.00 in (-6.12) |
| 2025 | 17.96 in (-5.16) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 40.37 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 8.66 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ROSCOE (11 mi away) | 5.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,104 |
| Median year built | 1965 |
| Built before 1980 | 76% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $96,300 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Nolan County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwell | 3% | under 1% | 123 |
| Roscoe | 30% | 6% | 611 |
| Sweetwater | under 1% | under 1% | 5,170 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell County, TX | 30 mi | 34% | under 1% |
| Fisher County, TX | 30 mi | 8% | under 1% |
| Taylor County, TX | 31 mi | 45% | under 1% |
| Coke County, TX | 33 mi | 11% | under 1% |
| Runnels County, TX | 41 mi | 42% | 1% |
| Scurry County, TX | 42 mi | 19% | 1% |
| Jones County, TX | 43 mi | 54% | under 1% |
| Sterling County, TX | 50 mi | 30% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status