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Odem, Texas
Inside Odem's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
That clay share is below San Patricio County's 58%. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78370 overlapping the city. Of its 828 homes, 59% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1976.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in San Patricio County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Odem
Foundation repair in Odem: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 30% of Odem's mapped land.
About 700 of Odem's 828 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 Odem city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 51.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 30.4% |
| Mapped soil | 815 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Calallen | 34% | n/a |
| Raymondville | 30% | n/a |
| Papalote | 12% | n/a |
| Orelia | 10% | n/a |
| Edroy | 4% | n/a |
| Cranell | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 30% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of San Patricio County is in drought on the latest map, and 30% of Odem's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 52% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in San Patricio County
100% of San Patricio County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Odem. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78370 | 100% | 5 | $84,310 |
Homes in Odem
| Housing units | 828 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 59% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $89,400 |
| Single-family detached | 88% |
Nearby cities
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status