Polk County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23% of Polk County's mapped land, a higher share than 74% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 45%.
2.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 0% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 149 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 34% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.
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 Polk County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 45.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 76.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 23.4% |
| Mapped soil | 712,957 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Pinetucky | 14% | n/a |
| Woodville | 12% | n/a |
| Hatliff | 5% | n/a |
| Pluck | 5% | n/a |
| Doucette | 4% | n/a |
| Laska | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX617 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.0% by land area here, and 23% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 2.1% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of Polk County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 45% of Polk County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 36.51 in, 17.05 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.56 in.
USDA rates 76% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
2.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 39 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 25 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 61% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 2.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
149 flood losses since 2016, $6.3 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 70. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 63% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 33% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 24 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 21 |
| 2017 | 35 |
| 2018 | 10 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 70 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.56 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.51 in (-17.05) |
| 2025 | 49.25 in (-4.31) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1973: 79.63 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 26.96 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at LIVINGSTON 2 NNE (6 mi away) | 17.6 |
Homes
| Housing units | 26,469 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 33% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $184,800 |
| Single-family detached | 68% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Polk County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrigan | under 1% | 72% | 811 |
| Goodrich | 71% | 54% | 181 |
| Livingston | 55% | 44% | 2,944 |
| Onalaska | 15% | 46% | 1,765 |
| Seven Oaks | 8% | 83% | 69 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jacinto County, TX | 24 mi | 16% | 42% |
| Tyler County, TX | 27 mi | 18% | 34% |
| Trinity County, TX | 29 mi | 13% | 74% |
| Angelina County, TX | 35 mi | 27% | 44% |
| Hardin County, TX | 41 mi | 12% | 67% |
| Liberty County, TX | 41 mi | 46% | 76% |
| Walker County, TX | 44 mi | 40% | 63% |
| Jasper County, TX | 48 mi | 15% | 43% |
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