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San Saba, Texas
Inside San Saba's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 78% of mapped land, higher than 84% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
That clay share is above San Saba County's 45%. FEMA's flood data list 13 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 76877 overlapping the city. Of its 1,236 homes, 58% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1971.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in San Saba 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 San Saba
Foundation repair in San Saba: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 78% of San Saba's mapped land, more than in 84% of Texas cities.
About 900 of San Saba's 1,236 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 San Saba city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 78.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 64.9% |
| Mapped soil | 1,732 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Nuvalde | 24% | n/a |
| Roughcreek | 23% | n/a |
| Frio | 22% | n/a |
| Sagerton | 16% | 88% |
| Leeray | 4% | n/a |
| Shep | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.7% by land area here, and 65% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 78% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 79.5% of San Saba County is in drought on the latest map, and 78% of San Saba's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in San Saba County
79.5% of San Saba 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 San Saba. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76877 | 100% | 13 | $1.1 million |
Homes in San Saba
| Housing units | 1,236 |
| Median year built | 1971 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $124,000 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Springs | 14 mi | 43% | 0% |
| Lometa | 19 mi | 22% | 0% |
| Goldthwaite | 20 mi | 22% | 0% |
| Mullin | 25 mi | 3% | 0% |
| Llano | 31 mi | 7% | 0% |
| Lampasas | 33 mi | 18% | 0% |
| Brady | 37 mi | 23% | 0% |
| Brownwood | 39 mi | 46% | 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