Throckmorton County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 49% of Throckmorton County's mapped land, a higher share than 90% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 79% 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 Throckmorton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 48.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 36.3% |
| Mapped soil | 585,702 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lueders | 15% | n/a |
| Throck | 11% | n/a |
| Leeray | 8% | n/a |
| Owens | 8% | n/a |
| Clearfork | 5% | n/a |
| Sagerton | 4% | 88% |
How we count · survey areas TX447 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.2% by land area here, and 36% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 49% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 49% of Throckmorton County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 19.59 in, 8.42 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 28.01 in.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
100% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 31 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 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 | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $157,662 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 2.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 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 | 28.01 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 19.59 in (-8.42) |
| 2025 | 30.87 in (+2.86) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 50.77 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1956: 11.58 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WOODSON (14 mi away) | 8.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 991 |
| Median year built | 1961 |
| Built before 1980 | 79% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $89,500 |
| Single-family detached | 83% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Throckmorton County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Throckmorton | 24% | 0% | 444 |
| Woodson | 5% | 0% | 221 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haskell County, TX | 30 mi | 59% | 2% |
| Young County, TX | 31 mi | 27% | under 1% |
| Shackelford County, TX | 31 mi | 43% | under 1% |
| Baylor County, TX | 31 mi | 54% | under 1% |
| Stephens County, TX | 37 mi | 35% | under 1% |
| Archer County, TX | 43 mi | 36% | under 1% |
| Knox County, TX | 43 mi | 27% | 1% |
| Jones County, TX | 49 mi | 54% | 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