San Saba County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 45% of San Saba County's mapped land, a higher share than 89% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
79.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 13 flood losses here since 2016. 49% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1981.
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 Saba County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 44.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 40.0% |
| Mapped soil | 728,301 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Roughcreek | 26% | n/a |
| Rumple | 12% | n/a |
| Nocken | 6% | n/a |
| Eckrant | 5% | 8% |
| Bonti | 5% | n/a |
| Callahan | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX411 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.7% by land area here, and 40% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 45% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 79.5% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 45% of San Saba County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.39 in, 1.90 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 29.49 in.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
79.5% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 16 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 79.5% |
| D2 severe or worse | 29.5% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
13 flood losses since 2016, $1.1 million paid. The worst year was 2025, with 10.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 29.49 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.39 in (+1.90) |
| 2025 | 32.49 in (+3.00) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 48.31 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 12.60 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TAYLOR RCH (15 mi away) | 8.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 2,835 |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Built before 1980 | 49% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $168,700 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in San Saba County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Springs | 43% | 0% | 172 |
| San Saba | 78% | 0% | 1,236 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mills County, TX | 27 mi | 26% | under 1% |
| Llano County, TX | 32 mi | 16% | 0% |
| McCulloch County, TX | 32 mi | 29% | under 1% |
| Lampasas County, TX | 34 mi | 20% | under 1% |
| Mason County, TX | 40 mi | 15% | 0% |
| Brown County, TX | 43 mi | 40% | 1% |
| Burnet County, TX | 44 mi | 27% | 0% |
| Hamilton County, TX | 57 mi | 31% | under 1% |
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