HomeTexasFort Bend CountySimonton
Simonton, Texas
Inside Simonton's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 41% of mapped land, higher than 50% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 2%.
That clay share is below Fort Bend County's 64%. FEMA's flood data list 527 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 318 homes, 54% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1979.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Fort Bend County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Simonton
Foundation repair in Simonton: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 41% of Simonton's mapped land, more than in 50% of Texas cities.
About 300 of Simonton's 318 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 Simonton city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 41.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 10.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 42.2% |
| Mapped soil | 1,511 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Brazoria | 39% | n/a |
| Norwood | 35% | n/a |
| Clemville | 14% | n/a |
| Asa | 3% | 0% |
| Pledger | 2% | n/a |
| Churnabog | 2% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 10.1% by land area here, and 42% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 41% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 83.3% of Fort Bend County is in drought on the latest map, and 41% of Simonton's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Fort Bend County
83.3% of Fort Bend 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 Simonton. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77485 | 53% | 189 | $19.6 million |
| 77476 | 43% | 338 | $40.2 million |
Homes in Simonton
| Housing units | 318 |
| Median year built | 1979 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 97% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $390,500 |
| Single-family detached | 97% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weston Lakes | 3 mi | 32% | 6% |
| Orchard | 5 mi | 37% | 69% |
| Fulshear | 5 mi | 17% | 27% |
| Wallis | 6 mi | 86% | 61% |
| Brazos Country | 7 mi | 15% | 21% |
| South Frydek | 7 mi | 90% | 12% |
| Brookshire | 7 mi | 2% | 18% |
| Pattison | 10 mi | 17% | 26% |
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