Orange County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 26% of Orange County's mapped land, a higher share than 77% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 65%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 39.2% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 6,943 flood losses here since 2016, under 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 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 Orange County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 26.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 64.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 45.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 5.0% |
| Mapped soil | 242,823 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Evadale | 22% | n/a |
| Orcadia | 10% | n/a |
| Gist | 5% | n/a |
| Camptown | 5% | n/a |
| Aris | 5% | n/a |
| Texla | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX623 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.7% by land area here, and 45% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 26% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 26% of Orange County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 65% of Orange County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 46.77 in, 14.61 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 61.38 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
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 35 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 14 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 | 32.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
6,943 flood losses since 2016, $666.2 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 4,395. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 87% slabs, 2% crawl spaces, 11% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 18 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 167 |
| 2017 | 4,395 |
| 2018 | 29 |
| 2019 | 2,167 |
| 2020 | 89 |
| 2021 | 19 |
| 2022 | 10 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2024 | 31 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 23 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 61.38 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 46.77 in (-14.61) |
| 2025 | 50.43 in (-10.95) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2017: 94.31 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1924: 29.81 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ORANGE (9 mi away) | 20.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 37,937 |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Built before 1980 | 46% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $173,400 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Orange County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge City | 47% | 56% | 3,904 |
| Orange | 35% | 35% | 8,974 |
| Pine Forest | 41% | 55% | 213 |
| Pinehurst | 67% | 6% | 1,016 |
| Rose City | 18% | 42% | 235 |
| Vidor | 38% | 52% | 4,760 |
| West Orange | 66% | 28% | 1,647 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, TX | 24 mi | 56% | 66% |
| Calcasieu Parish, LA | 33 mi | 18% | 84% |
| Hardin County, TX | 33 mi | 12% | 67% |
| Jasper County, TX | 45 mi | 15% | 43% |
| Cameron Parish, LA | 47 mi | 38% | 72% |
| Newton County, TX | 47 mi | 13% | 36% |
| Beauregard Parish, LA | 49 mi | 10% | 76% |
| Tyler County, TX | 53 mi | 18% | 34% |
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