Swisher County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 87% of Swisher County's mapped land, a higher share than 100% of US counties and the highest of 254 Texas counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 10%.
88.8% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 83% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1961.
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 Swisher County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 86.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 85.1% |
| Mapped soil | 566,731 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX437 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.3% by land area here, and 85% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 87% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 88.8% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 87% of Swisher County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 11.12 in, 8.84 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 19.96 in.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
88.8% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 47 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 88.8% |
| D2 severe or worse | 56.4% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 1% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $9,064 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 19.96 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 11.12 in (-8.84) |
| 2025 | 20.84 in (+0.88) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 36.85 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 7.64 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TULIA (2 mi away) | 4.7 |
Homes
| Housing units | 3,029 |
| Median year built | 1961 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $86,300 |
| Single-family detached | 85% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Swisher County
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castro County, TX | 29 mi | 82% | 5% |
| Briscoe County, TX | 31 mi | 40% | 8% |
| Randall County, TX | 31 mi | 66% | 7% |
| Hale County, TX | 32 mi | 83% | 7% |
| Armstrong County, TX | 37 mi | 45% | 6% |
| Floyd County, TX | 40 mi | 84% | 10% |
| Lamb County, TX | 47 mi | 14% | 2% |
| Deaf Smith County, TX | 57 mi | 70% | 3% |
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