Runge, Texas
Inside Runge's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 32% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 4 cities in Karnes County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is below Karnes County's 52%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78151 overlapping the city. Of its 566 homes, 40% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1991.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Karnes 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 Runge
Foundation repair in Runge: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 32% of Runge's mapped land.
About 300 of Runge's 566 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 Runge city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 32.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | under 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 38.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 32.0% |
| Mapped soil | 759 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Pernitas | 41% | n/a |
| Coy | 25% | n/a |
| Weesatche | 8% | n/a |
| Olmedo | 7% | n/a |
| Clareville | 6% | n/a |
| Pettus | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 32% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 32% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Karnes County is in drought on the latest map, and 32% of Runge's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Drought in Karnes County
100% of Karnes 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 Runge. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78151 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Runge
| Housing units | 566 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 40% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 38% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $88,500 |
| Single-family detached | 50% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nordheim | 7 mi | 62% | under 1% |
| Kenedy | 10 mi | 51% | under 1% |
| Karnes City | 11 mi | 46% | under 1% |
| Yorktown | 14 mi | 24% | 7% |
| Falls City | 20 mi | 35% | 0% |
| Goliad | 24 mi | 29% | 4% |
| Poth | 26 mi | 51% | 1% |
| Nixon | 27 mi | 89% | 0% |
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