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Pearland, Texas
Inside Pearland's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 70% of mapped land, higher than 75% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 36%.
That clay share is above Brazoria County's 64%. FEMA's flood data list 1,615 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 47,560 homes, 11% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2003.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Brazoria 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
Soil under Pearland city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 70.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 36.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 70.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.2% |
| Mapped soil | 31,584 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles | 60% | 97% |
| Bernard | 28% | 43% |
| Edna | 5% | n/a |
| Verland | 2% | n/a |
| Bacliff | 1% | n/a |
| Aris | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.2% by land area here, and 70% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 70% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 40.3% of Brazoria County is in drought on the latest map, and 70% of Pearland's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 36% of Pearland's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Brazoria County
40.3% of Brazoria County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Pearland. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77584 | 48% | 545 | $32.0 million |
| 77581 | 42% | 1,070 | $91.6 million |
Homes in Pearland
| Housing units | 47,560 |
| Median year built | 2003 |
| Built before 1980 | 11% |
| Built 2000 or later | 62% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $356,300 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookside Village | 2 mi | 69% | 56% |
| Manvel | 5 mi | 70% | 47% |
| Friendswood | 8 mi | 74% | 49% |
| South Houston | 9 mi | 53% | 6% |
| Arcola | 10 mi | 80% | 23% |
| Iowa Colony | 10 mi | 76% | 28% |
| Alvin | 11 mi | 65% | 48% |
| Pasadena | 12 mi | 53% | 37% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status