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South Padre Island, Texas
Inside South Padre Island's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 50%, the 3rd-highest of 19 cities in Cameron County.
That clay share is below Cameron County's 29%. FEMA's flood data list 44 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78597 overlapping the city. Of its 5,534 homes, 34% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1984.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Cameron 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 South Padre Island
Foundation repair in South Padre Island: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 0% of South Padre Island's mapped land.
About 700 of South Padre Island's 5,534 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 South Padre Island city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 50.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 77.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 2,353 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Mustang | 36% | n/a |
| Galveston | 22% | n/a |
| Daggerhill | 10% | n/a |
| Twinpalms | 2% | n/a |
| Yarborough | 2% | n/a |
| Panam | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 50% of South Padre Island's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Cameron County
83.8% of Cameron 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 South Padre Island. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78597 | 100% | 44 | $276,654 |
Homes in South Padre Island
| Housing units | 5,534 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 34% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 70% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $516,900 |
| Single-family detached | 13% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Vista | 8 mi | 34% | 64% |
| Port Isabel | 9 mi | 7% | 54% |
| Starbase | 10 mi | 8% | 49% |
| Bayview | 14 mi | 27% | 3% |
| Los Fresnos | 20 mi | 45% | 10% |
| Indian Lake | 21 mi | 15% | 0% |
| Brownsville | 21 mi | 41% | 31% |
| Rancho Viejo | 25 mi | 26% | 5% |
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