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Sugar Land, Texas
Inside Sugar Land's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 58% of mapped land, higher than 64% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on 12%.
That clay share is below Fort Bend County's 64%. FEMA's flood data list 735 flood losses since 2016 in the 3 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 39,946 homes, 13% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1994.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Fort Bend County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 3 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Sugar Land city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 57.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 12.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 79.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 11.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 59.9% |
| Mapped soil | 27,452 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Brazoria | 34% | n/a |
| Norwood | 13% | n/a |
| Lake Charles | 11% | 97% |
| Pledger | 8% | n/a |
| Clemville | 6% | n/a |
| Asa | 4% | 0% |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 11.9% by land area here, and 60% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 58% of the mapped land.
USDA rates 80% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Fort Bend County
0.1% of Fort Bend County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Sugar Land. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77479 | 57% | 484 | $27.2 million |
| 77478 | 24% | 107 | $1.9 million |
| 77498 | 17% | 144 | $6.3 million |
Homes in Sugar Land
| Housing units | 39,946 |
| Median year built | 1994 |
| Built before 1980 | 13% |
| Built 2000 or later | 30% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $430,200 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stafford | 4 mi | 71% | 43% |
| Meadows Place | 5 mi | 85% | 24% |
| Missouri City | 6 mi | 58% | 29% |
| Richmond | 8 mi | 58% | 22% |
| Thompsons | 8 mi | 42% | 23% |
| Arcola | 12 mi | 80% | 23% |
| Rosenberg | 12 mi | 77% | 64% |
| Bellaire | 13 mi | 56% | 28% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status