Rusk, Texas
Inside Rusk's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 7 cities in Cherokee County. A shallow water table limits basements on 15%.
That clay share is below Cherokee County's 14%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75785 overlapping the city. Of its 1,232 homes, 48% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1982.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Cherokee 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 Rusk
Foundation repair in Rusk: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 1% of Rusk's mapped land.
About 900 of Rusk's 1,232 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 Rusk city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 75.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 4,647 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Trawick | 16% | n/a |
| Cuthbert | 14% | 0% |
| Nacogdoches | 12% | 0% |
| Elrose | 8% | n/a |
| Lilbert | 7% | 0% |
| Bowie | 7% | 0% |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 76% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 15% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Rusk; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Cherokee County
98.2% of Cherokee 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 Rusk. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75785 | 100% | 1 | $36,816 |
Homes in Rusk
| Housing units | 1,232 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 19% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $157,400 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallatin | 7 mi | 4% | 46% |
| Reklaw | 11 mi | 5% | 50% |
| Alto | 11 mi | under 1% | 33% |
| New Summerfield | 13 mi | 10% | 25% |
| Jacksonville | 13 mi | under 1% | 20% |
| Cushing | 18 mi | 10% | 26% |
| Cuney | 23 mi | 0% | 10% |
| Troup | 24 mi | 2% | 56% |
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