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Port Aransas, Texas
Inside Port Aransas' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 49%, the highest of 8 cities in Nueces County.
That clay share is below Nueces County's 56%. FEMA's flood data list 3,120 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78373 overlapping the city. Of its 5,375 homes, 27% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1990.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Nueces 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 Port Aransas
Foundation repair in Port Aransas: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 1% of Port Aransas' mapped land.
About 2,800 of Port Aransas' 5,375 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 Port Aransas city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 48.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 67.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.8% |
| Mapped soil | 8,924 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Mustang | 21% | n/a |
| Galveston | 5% | n/a |
| Twinpalms | 1% | n/a |
| Nueces | 1% | n/a |
| Yarborough | 1% | n/a |
| Malaquite | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 49% of Port Aransas' mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 68% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Nueces County
100% of Nueces 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 Port Aransas. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78373 | 98% | 3,120 | $143.0 million |
Homes in Port Aransas
| Housing units | 5,375 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 27% |
| Built 2000 or later | 36% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $588,700 |
| Single-family detached | 52% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aransas Pass | 5 mi | 3% | 29% |
| Corpus Christi | 7 mi | 17% | 8% |
| Ingleside | 8 mi | 27% | 45% |
| Ingleside on the Bay | 8 mi | 0% | 26% |
| Gregory | 14 mi | 76% | 2% |
| Portland | 16 mi | 63% | 7% |
| Rockport | 16 mi | 5% | 53% |
| Fulton | 18 mi | 0% | 30% |
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