Sutton County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 19% of Sutton County's mapped land, a higher share than 68% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
48.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 23 flood losses here since 2016. 57% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1972.
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 Sutton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 18.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | under 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.0% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 61.8% |
| Mapped soil | 931,014 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Tarrant | 56% | n/a |
| Kavett | 14% | n/a |
| Angelo | 7% | n/a |
| Ector | 5% | 0% |
| Valera | 4% | n/a |
| Tobosa | 2% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX435 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.0% by land area here, and 62% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 19% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 48.1% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 19% of Sutton County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 24.52 in, 2.79 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 21.73 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
48.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 26 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 84.6% of its area, on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 84.8% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 48.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
23 flood losses since 2016, $876,737 paid. The worst year was 2018, with 21.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 21 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 21.73 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 24.52 in (+2.79) |
| 2025 | 24.74 in (+3.01) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 44.31 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1951: 7.94 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at SONORA (9 mi away) | 6.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 1,766 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 57% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $155,700 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Sutton County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonora | 48% | 0% | 1,326 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schleicher County, TX | 26 mi | 32% | 0% |
| Edwards County, TX | 39 mi | 4% | 0% |
| Kimble County, TX | 46 mi | 6% | 0% |
| Menard County, TX | 46 mi | 12% | 0% |
| Crockett County, TX | 55 mi | 11% | 0% |
| Val Verde County, TX | 58 mi | 1% | under 1% |
| Tom Green County, TX | 61 mi | 43% | under 1% |
| Irion County, TX | 61 mi | 21% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status