Real County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 9% of Real County's mapped land, a higher share than 52% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses here since 2016. 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 Real County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 8.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 8.9% |
| Mapped soil | 447,853 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Eckrant | 42% | 8% |
| Real | 6% | n/a |
| Dina | 4% | n/a |
| Dev | 3% | n/a |
| Mailtrail | 3% | n/a |
| Campwood | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX607 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.32 in, 3.96 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 27.36 in.
USDA rates 82% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 9% and a shallow water table on 0% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Real County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 23 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 96.7% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the November 18, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 59.1% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
4 flood losses since 2016, $43,081 paid. The worst year was 2026, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 27.36 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.32 in (+3.96) |
| 2025 | 28.64 in (+1.28) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 50.30 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 10.43 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PRADE RCH (6 mi away) | 7.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,951 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 35% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $112,500 |
| Single-family detached | 61% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Real County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerr County, TX | 30 mi | 33% | under 1% |
| Edwards County, TX | 32 mi | 4% | 0% |
| Uvalde County, TX | 33 mi | 23% | under 1% |
| Bandera County, TX | 34 mi | 17% | 0% |
| Kimble County, TX | 45 mi | 6% | 0% |
| Kinney County, TX | 49 mi | 10% | 1% |
| Medina County, TX | 54 mi | 33% | under 1% |
| Gillespie County, TX | 62 mi | 23% | 0% |
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