Refugio County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 54% of Refugio County's mapped land, a higher share than 92% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 15%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 50 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 60% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Refugio County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 53.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 11.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 57.4% |
| Mapped soil | 524,002 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 37% | 99% |
| Papalote | 11% | n/a |
| Orelia | 11% | n/a |
| Banquete | 5% | n/a |
| Aransas | 5% | n/a |
| Edroy | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX391 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 11.0% by land area here, and 57% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 54% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 54% of Refugio County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 34.15 in, 1.57 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.72 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 37 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 15% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
50 flood losses since 2016, $1.1 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 40. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 80% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 15% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 40 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 35.72 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.15 in (-1.57) |
| 2025 | 29.57 in (-6.15) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1960: 53.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 9.52 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at REFUGIO 3 SW (10 mi away) | 10.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,359 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 60% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 77% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $99,000 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Refugio County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aransas County, TX | 18 mi | 18% | 35% |
| Goliad County, TX | 29 mi | 24% | 21% |
| San Patricio County, TX | 30 mi | 58% | 14% |
| Victoria County, TX | 35 mi | 65% | 35% |
| Bee County, TX | 36 mi | 25% | 11% |
| Calhoun County, TX | 36 mi | 33% | 31% |
| Nueces County, TX | 46 mi | 56% | 9% |
| DeWitt County, TX | 54 mi | 27% | 17% |
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