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Plainview, Texas
Inside Plainview's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 91% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 4 cities in Hale County. A shallow water table limits basements on 15%, the highest of 4 cities in Hale County.
That clay share is above Hale County's 83%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 79072 overlapping the city. Of its 8,533 homes, 72% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1970.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hale 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 Plainview
Foundation repair in Plainview: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 91% of Plainview's mapped land, more than in 98% of Texas cities.
About 6,300 of Plainview's 8,533 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 Plainview city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 90.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 15.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 87.9% |
| Mapped soil | 8,884 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.3% by land area here, and 88% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 91% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 37.3% of Hale County is in drought on the latest map, and 91% of Plainview's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 15% of Plainview's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hale County
37.3% of Hale 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 Plainview. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79072 | 100% | 2 | $8,362 |
Homes in Plainview
| Housing units | 8,533 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 72% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 53% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $113,000 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hale Center | 11 mi | 97% | 4% |
| Edmonson | 12 mi | 96% | under 1% |
| Kress | 12 mi | 99% | 6% |
| Lockney | 17 mi | 97% | under 1% |
| Petersburg | 23 mi | 95% | 1% |
| Olton | 24 mi | 62% | 7% |
| Tulia | 24 mi | 90% | 2% |
| Hart | 26 mi | 91% | 1% |
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