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Primera, Texas
Inside Primera's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 3%.
That clay share is below Cameron County's 29%. FEMA's flood data list 756 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78552 overlapping the city. Of its 1,798 homes, 20% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2003.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Cameron 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 Primera
Foundation repair in Primera: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 18% of Primera's mapped land.
About 1,400 of Primera's 1,798 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 Primera city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 18.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 17.8% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.9% |
| Mapped soil | 1,772 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Racombes | 40% | n/a |
| Raymondville | 21% | n/a |
| Hidalgo | 19% | 0% |
| Willacy | 16% | n/a |
| Rio | 1% | n/a |
| Lyford | under 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.3% by land area here, and 18% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 18% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 83.8% of Cameron County is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Primera's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Drought in Cameron County
83.8% of Cameron 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 Primera. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78552 | 100% | 756 | $55.7 million |
Homes in Primera
| Housing units | 1,798 |
| Median year built | 2003 |
| Built before 1980 | 20% |
| Built 2000 or later | 58% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $160,900 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Valley | 1 mi | 18% | 4% |
| Combes | 2 mi | 26% | 2% |
| Harlingen | 4 mi | 62% | 1% |
| Santa Rosa | 5 mi | 50% | 2% |
| La Feria | 7 mi | 24% | under 1% |
| Rangerville | 8 mi | 56% | 5% |
| San Benito | 9 mi | 63% | 4% |
| Rio Hondo | 11 mi | 39% | 21% |
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