Rice, Texas
Inside Rice's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 85% of mapped land, higher than 92% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 15%, the 3rd-highest of 18 cities in Navarro County.
That clay share is above Navarro County's 75%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75155 overlapping the city. Of its 420 homes, 22% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1995.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Navarro 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 Rice
Foundation repair in Rice: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 85% of Rice's mapped land, more than in 92% of Texas cities.
About 200 of Rice's 420 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 Rice city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 84.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 15.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 9.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 84.6% |
| Mapped soil | 1,750 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 9.3% by land area here, and 85% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 85% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Navarro County is in drought on the latest map, and 85% of Rice's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 15% of Rice's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Navarro County
100% of Navarro 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 Rice. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75155 | 100% | 2 | $5,354 |
Homes in Rice
| Housing units | 420 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 22% |
| Built 2000 or later | 39% |
| Owner-occupied | 85% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $79,500 |
| Single-family detached | 48% |
Nearby cities
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