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Stephenville, Texas
Inside Stephenville's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 36% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 15%.
That clay share is above Erath County's 20%. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 9,095 homes, 45% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1984.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Erath 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 Stephenville
Foundation repair in Stephenville: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 36% of Stephenville's mapped land.
About 5,200 of Stephenville's 9,095 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 Stephenville city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 36.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 15.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 12.0% |
| Mapped soil | 7,816 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Windthorst | 32% | 37% |
| Bunyan | 8% | n/a |
| Clairette | 7% | n/a |
| Purves | 7% | 40% |
| Granbury | 7% | n/a |
| Nimrod | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.6% by land area here, and 12% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 36% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Erath County is in drought on the latest map, and 36% of Stephenville's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 15% of Stephenville's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 81% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Erath County
100% of Erath 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 Stephenville. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76401 | over 99% | 3 | $126,213 |
| 76402 | under 1% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Stephenville
| Housing units | 9,095 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 45% |
| Built 2000 or later | 32% |
| Owner-occupied | 44% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $241,300 |
| Single-family detached | 57% |
Nearby cities
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