San Patricio County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 58% of San Patricio County's mapped land, a higher share than 94% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 14%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 490 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 48% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1982.
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 San Patricio County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 58.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 58.0% |
| Mapped soil | 452,979 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 36% | 99% |
| Calallen | 12% | n/a |
| Raymondville | 11% | n/a |
| Papalote | 6% | n/a |
| Aransas | 5% | n/a |
| Banquete | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX620 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.7% by land area here, and 58% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 58% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 58% of San Patricio County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 30.82 in, 0.94 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 31.76 in.
USDA rates 74% 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 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 38 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 | 30% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
490 flood losses since 2016, $8.3 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 330. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 82% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 14% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 10 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 80 |
| 2017 | 330 |
| 2018 | 19 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 17 |
| 2021 | 24 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 3 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.76 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 30.82 in (-0.94) |
| 2025 | 24.58 in (-7.18) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 51.27 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 9.93 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WELDER WILDLIFE FOUNDATION (9 mi away) | 10.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 30,435 |
| Median year built | 1982 |
| Built before 1980 | 48% |
| Built 2000 or later | 31% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $192,400 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in San Patricio County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nueces County, TX | 19 mi | 56% | 9% |
| Refugio County, TX | 30 mi | 54% | 15% |
| Bee County, TX | 31 mi | 25% | 11% |
| Aransas County, TX | 34 mi | 18% | 35% |
| Jim Wells County, TX | 40 mi | 27% | 19% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 41 mi | 31% | 18% |
| Live Oak County, TX | 44 mi | 29% | under 1% |
| Goliad County, TX | 45 mi | 24% | 21% |
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