Palo Pinto County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19% of Palo Pinto County's mapped land, a higher share than 69% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 36 flood losses here since 2016. 52% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1979.
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 Palo Pinto County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 19.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 78.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.3% |
| Mapped soil | 630,944 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Palopinto | 11% | n/a |
| Set | 10% | n/a |
| Hensley | 9% | n/a |
| Bonti | 8% | n/a |
| Shatruce | 8% | n/a |
| Leeray | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX363 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.6% by land area here, and 10% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 19% of Palo Pinto County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 24.31 in, 7.89 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 32.20 in.
USDA rates 79% 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 10 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 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 | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
36 flood losses since 2016, $886,964 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 22.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 22 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 32.20 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 24.31 in (-7.89) |
| 2025 | 31.75 in (-0.45) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 52.05 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1910: 16.91 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at STRAWN 8 NNE (11 mi away) | 10.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 15,206 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 52% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $198,000 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Palo Pinto County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon | 63% | under 1% | 206 |
| Graford | 56% | under 1% | 247 |
| Mineral Wells | 42% | 4% | 6,448 |
| Mingus | 49% | 1% | 140 |
| Strawn | 41% | 1% | 300 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parker County, TX | 30 mi | 21% | 5% |
| Stephens County, TX | 30 mi | 35% | under 1% |
| Jack County, TX | 34 mi | 17% | 1% |
| Young County, TX | 35 mi | 27% | under 1% |
| Hood County, TX | 36 mi | 18% | 9% |
| Erath County, TX | 36 mi | 20% | 6% |
| Eastland County, TX | 42 mi | 30% | 15% |
| Somervell County, TX | 49 mi | 13% | 4% |
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