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Olton, Texas
Inside Olton's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 62% of mapped land, the highest of 6 cities in Lamb County. A shallow water table limits basements on 7%, the highest of 6 cities in Lamb County.
That clay share is above Lamb County's 14%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79064 overlapping the city. Of its 702 homes, 68% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1964.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lamb 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 Olton
Foundation repair in Olton: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 62% of Olton's mapped land, more than in 67% of Texas cities.
About 600 of Olton's 702 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 Olton city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 61.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 7.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 60.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 58.8% |
| Mapped soil | 872 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 59% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 62% of the mapped land.
USDA rates 61% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Lamb County
0% of Lamb 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 Olton. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79064 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Olton
| Housing units | 702 |
| Median year built | 1964 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $50,800 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springlake | 10 mi | 37% | under 1% |
| Hart | 14 mi | 91% | 1% |
| Edmonson | 15 mi | 96% | under 1% |
| Earth | 16 mi | 9% | 4% |
| Hale Center | 18 mi | 97% | 4% |
| Amherst | 20 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Littlefield | 21 mi | 21% | 3% |
| Sudan | 23 mi | 0% | 0% |
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