Stephens County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 35% of Stephens County's mapped land, a higher share than 84% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 17 flood losses here since 2016. 63% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1975.
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 Stephens County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 35.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.5% |
| Mapped soil | 589,817 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Thurber | 11% | n/a |
| Bluegrove | 10% | n/a |
| Bonti | 9% | n/a |
| Truce | 8% | 47% |
| Leeray | 7% | n/a |
| Palopinto | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX429 (2025-09-04)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.3% by land area here, and 22% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 35% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 35% of Stephens County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 22.94 in, 6.77 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 29.71 in.
USDA rates 83% 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 28 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 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 | 80.1% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
17 flood losses since 2016, $582,528 paid. The worst year was 2016, with 16.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 16 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 29.71 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 22.94 in (-6.77) |
| 2025 | 30.78 in (+1.07) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1957: 45.93 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 14.88 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BRECKENRIDGE (4 mi away) | 9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,676 |
| Median year built | 1975 |
| Built before 1980 | 63% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $110,200 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Stephens County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breckenridge | 37% | 1% | 2,384 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastland County, TX | 29 mi | 30% | 15% |
| Shackelford County, TX | 30 mi | 43% | under 1% |
| Palo Pinto County, TX | 30 mi | 19% | 1% |
| Young County, TX | 31 mi | 27% | under 1% |
| Throckmorton County, TX | 37 mi | 49% | under 1% |
| Callahan County, TX | 44 mi | 60% | 2% |
| Erath County, TX | 50 mi | 20% | 6% |
| Jack County, TX | 52 mi | 17% | 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 4, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status