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Paducah, Texas
Inside Paducah's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 44% of mapped land, higher than 52% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is above Cottle County's 18%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79248 overlapping the city. Of its 701 homes, 88% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1958.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Cottle 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 Paducah
Foundation repair in Paducah: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 44% of Paducah's mapped land, more than in 52% of Texas cities.
About 600 of Paducah's 701 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 Paducah city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 44.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 21.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 966 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.6% by land area here, and 0% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 44% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Cottle County is in drought on the latest map, and 44% of Paducah's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Drought in Cottle County
100% of Cottle 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 Paducah. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79248 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Paducah
| Housing units | 701 |
| Median year built | 1958 |
| Built before 1980 | 88% |
| Built 2000 or later | 0% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $49,000 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
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