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Palestine, Texas
Inside Palestine's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 14%, the 3rd-highest of 3 cities in Anderson County.
That clay share is below Anderson County's 11%. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 7,743 homes, 59% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1976.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Anderson County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Palestine
Foundation repair in Palestine: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on under 1% of Palestine's mapped land.
About 5,300 of Palestine's 7,743 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 Palestine city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 65.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.0% |
| Mapped soil | 12,576 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Trawick | 23% | n/a |
| Elrose | 11% | n/a |
| Lilbert | 11% | 0% |
| Darco | 11% | n/a |
| Kirvin | 8% | n/a |
| Hannahatchee | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 65% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on under 1% and a shallow water table on 14% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Palestine; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Anderson County
100% of Anderson 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 Palestine. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75801 | 54% | 7 | $116,776 |
| 75803 | 46% | 1 | $0 |
Homes in Palestine
| Housing units | 7,743 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 59% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $166,000 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkhart | 9 mi | 10% | 66% |
| Oakwood | 17 mi | 14% | 74% |
| Grapeland | 21 mi | 0% | 10% |
| Frankston | 23 mi | 0% | 25% |
| Poynor | 23 mi | 3% | 24% |
| Cuney | 24 mi | 0% | 10% |
| Berryville | 25 mi | 0% | 20% |
| Jacksonville | 26 mi | under 1% | 20% |
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