Nueces County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 56% of Nueces County's mapped land, a higher share than 93% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 9%.
100% of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 4,339 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 46% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1983.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Nueces County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 56.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 71.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 13.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 55.8% |
| Urban land, not rated | 2.1% |
| Mapped soil | 700,339 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 45% | 99% |
| Raymondville | 5% | n/a |
| Orelia | 4% | n/a |
| Aransas | 2% | n/a |
| Mustang | 2% | n/a |
| Banquete | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX355 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 13.5% by land area here, and 56% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 56% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 56% of Nueces County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 26.23 in, 3.39 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 29.62 in.
USDA rates 71% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 35 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, September 22, 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 | 44.7% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4,339 flood losses since 2016, $157.6 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 3,736. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 72% slabs, 1% crawl spaces, 26% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 19 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 234 |
| 2017 | 3,736 |
| 2018 | 74 |
| 2019 | 32 |
| 2020 | 61 |
| 2021 | 110 |
| 2022 | 11 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 49 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 19 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 29.62 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 26.23 in (-3.39) |
| 2025 | 20.86 in (-8.76) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 53.06 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 11.04 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CORPUS CHRISTI (3 mi away) | 9.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 154,408 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 60% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $208,800 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Nueces County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agua Dulce | 97% | 1% | 142 |
| Aransas Pass | 3% | 29% | 4,989 |
| Bishop | 96% | 3% | 1,448 |
| Corpus Christi | 17% | 8% | 136,279 |
| Driscoll | 93% | 1% | 206 |
| Petronila | 93% | 1% | 47 |
| Port Aransas | 1% | 49% | 5,375 |
| Robstown | 90% | 2% | 4,315 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Patricio County, TX | 19 mi | 58% | 14% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 23 mi | 31% | 18% |
| Jim Wells County, TX | 35 mi | 27% | 19% |
| Aransas County, TX | 43 mi | 18% | 35% |
| Refugio County, TX | 46 mi | 54% | 15% |
| Bee County, TX | 49 mi | 25% | 11% |
| Live Oak County, TX | 56 mi | 29% | under 1% |
| Kenedy County, TX | 59 mi | 1% | 39% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status