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Pasadena, Texas
Inside Pasadena's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 53% of mapped land, higher than 60% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 37%.
That clay share is above Harris County's 25%. FEMA's flood data list 2,380 flood losses since 2016 in the 7 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 53,756 homes, 57% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1977.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Harris County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 7 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Pasadena
Foundation repair in Pasadena: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 53% of Pasadena's mapped land, more than in 60% of Texas cities.
About 31,300 of Pasadena's 53,756 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 Pasadena city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 53.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 36.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 53.2% |
| Urban land, not rated | 19.3% |
| Mapped soil | 28,625 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles | 31% | 97% |
| Bernard | 17% | 43% |
| Beaumont | 6% | n/a |
| Verland | 4% | n/a |
| Mocarey | 4% | n/a |
| Addicks | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.0% by land area here, and 53% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 53% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 83.2% of Harris County is in drought on the latest map, and 53% of Pasadena's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 37% of Pasadena's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Pasadena covers 43.7 square miles of land and counts 53,756 housing units, about 1,230 per square mile.
55% of Pasadena's occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $209,600; 17% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under Pasadena is Lake Charles, on 31% of the mapped land, followed by Bernard at 17%.
USDA's soil survey maps 28,625 acres inside Pasadena's city limits.
Drought in Harris County
83.2% of Harris County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Pasadena. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77505 | 19% | 428 | $28.7 million |
| 77506 | 17% | 200 | $16.7 million |
| 77503 | 14% | 208 | $9.5 million |
| 77502 | 13% | 460 | $32.3 million |
| 77504 | 11% | 190 | $11.5 million |
| 77586 | 7% | 523 | $20.8 million |
| 77058 | 6% | 371 | $18.4 million |
Homes in Pasadena
| Housing units | 53,756 |
| Median year built | 1977 |
| Built before 1980 | 57% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $209,600 |
| Single-family detached | 58% |
Nearby cities
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status