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Temple, Texas
Inside Temple's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 51% of mapped land, higher than 58% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is close to Bell County's 55%. FEMA's flood data list 34 flood losses since 2016 in the 3 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 37,299 homes, 36% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1991.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Bell 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 Temple city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 50.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 72.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 40.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 5.9% |
| Mapped soil | 50,573 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Black | 18% | 91% |
| Austin | 17% | 93% |
| Stephen | 8% | n/a |
| Purves | 6% | 40% |
| Heiden | 6% | 80% |
| Denton | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.4% by land area here, and 40% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 51% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Bell County is in drought on the latest map, and 51% of Temple's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 72% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Bell County
100% of Bell 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 Temple. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76502 | 45% | 15 | $674,876 |
| 76504 | 28% | 9 | $290,690 |
| 76501 | 21% | 10 | $137,710 |
Homes in Temple
| Housing units | 37,299 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 42% |
| Owner-occupied | 52% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $239,000 |
| Single-family detached | 65% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan's Point Resort | 5 mi | 5% | 0% |
| Belton | 7 mi | 46% | under 1% |
| Troy | 8 mi | 56% | under 1% |
| Little River-Academy | 9 mi | 68% | 16% |
| Nolanville | 13 mi | 64% | under 1% |
| Salado | 14 mi | 46% | under 1% |
| Moody | 14 mi | 81% | 0% |
| Holland | 15 mi | 80% | under 1% |
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