Tarrant County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 41% of Tarrant County's mapped land, a higher share than 87% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 4%.
100% of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 458 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 33% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1990.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Tarrant County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 40.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 3.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 67.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 43.2% |
| Urban land, not rated | 11.7% |
| Mapped soil | 575,117 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sanger | 9% | 99% |
| Aledo | 7% | n/a |
| Crosstell | 6% | 98% |
| Gasil | 5% | 0% |
| Bolar | 4% | n/a |
| Purves | 4% | 40% |
How we count · survey areas TX439 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.7% by land area here, and 43% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 41% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 41% of Tarrant County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 29.55 in, 7.14 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 36.69 in.
USDA rates 67% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 17 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 6 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.
| Category, September 22, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 100% |
| D2 severe or worse | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 97.5% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
458 flood losses since 2016, $11.9 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 142. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 90% slabs, 6% crawl spaces, 3% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 36 |
| 2017 | 21 |
| 2018 | 142 |
| 2019 | 38 |
| 2020 | 28 |
| 2021 | 15 |
| 2022 | 90 |
| 2023 | 30 |
| 2024 | 32 |
| 2025 | 13 |
| 2026 to date | 13 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 36.69 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 29.55 in (-7.14) |
| 2025 | 33.51 in (-3.18) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 59.85 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2005: 17.17 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at FT WORTH WSFO (4 mi away) | 12.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 843,257 |
| Median year built | 1990 |
| Built before 1980 | 33% |
| Built 2000 or later | 36% |
| Owner-occupied | 59% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $323,900 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Tarrant County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | 46% | 3% | 153,137 |
| Azle | 15% | 17% | 5,564 |
| Bedford | 37% | 16% | 21,878 |
| Benbrook | 32% | 0% | 10,702 |
| Blue Mound | 53% | 0% | 813 |
| Colleyville | 27% | 14% | 9,403 |
| Crowley | 51% | 0% | 6,556 |
| Dalworthington Gardens | 25% | 8% | 892 |
| Edgecliff Village | 45% | 0% | 1,418 |
| Euless | 37% | 9% | 25,795 |
| Everman | 63% | 1% | 2,159 |
| Forest Hill | 48% | under 1% | 4,713 |
| Fort Worth | 42% | under 1% | 373,948 |
| Grapevine | 41% | 7% | 22,885 |
| Haltom City | 44% | 1% | 18,943 |
| Haslet | 71% | 0% | 1,161 |
| Hurst | 27% | 13% | 16,790 |
| Keller | 54% | 9% | 16,892 |
| Kennedale | 35% | 9% | 3,518 |
| Lake Worth | 26% | 1% | 1,960 |
| Lakeside | 18% | under 1% | 594 |
| Mansfield | 73% | 4% | 26,740 |
| North Richland Hills | 55% | 11% | 28,897 |
| Pantego | 11% | 6% | 1,196 |
| Pelican Bay | 30% | 55% | 843 |
| Richland Hills | 33% | 1% | 3,420 |
| River Oaks | 10% | 2% | 2,536 |
| Saginaw | 73% | 0% | 9,200 |
| Sansom Park | 12% | 0% | 2,081 |
| Southlake | 36% | 17% | 9,612 |
| Watauga | 61% | 0% | 8,299 |
| Westlake | 40% | 9% | 567 |
| Westover Hills | 1% | 0% | 415 |
| Westworth Village | 21% | 1% | 1,187 |
| White Settlement | 29% | 0% | 7,485 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, TX | 27 mi | 51% | 4% |
| Dallas County, TX | 30 mi | 51% | 6% |
| Parker County, TX | 30 mi | 21% | 5% |
| Denton County, TX | 32 mi | 50% | 1% |
| Wise County, TX | 38 mi | 21% | 5% |
| Hood County, TX | 39 mi | 18% | 9% |
| Ellis County, TX | 41 mi | 72% | 4% |
| Somervell County, TX | 47 mi | 13% | 4% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status