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Timpson, Texas

Inside Timpson's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 62% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 5 cities in Shelby County. A shallow water table limits basements on 49%, the 3rd-highest of 5 cities in Shelby County.

That clay share is above Shelby County's 40%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 75975 overlapping the city. Of its 663 homes, 63% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1973.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Shelby County

62%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

49%

high water table: limits basements

1

flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP

63%

of homes built before 1980

Foundation repair in Timpson

Foundation repair in Timpson: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 62% of Timpson's mapped land, more than in 67% of Texas cities.

About 400 of Timpson's 663 homes are detached houses.

Who designs the repairThe ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines)
PricesCost guide ranges compared

Soil under Timpson city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)61.9%
High water table (limits basements)49.1%
Septic fields very limited93.5%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)6.3%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)67.0%
Mapped soil1,613 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Eastwood36%99%
Scottsville25%n/a
Hallsummit12%n/a
Latex12%n/a
Metcalf5%n/a
Laneville3%n/a
Shelby CountyTimpson
Timpson city limits inside Shelby County, shaded by the city's expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.3% by land area here, and 67% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 62% of the mapped land.

Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Shelby County is in drought on the latest map, and 62% of Timpson's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.

On 49% of Timpson's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought in Shelby County

100% of Shelby County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Flood losses by ZIP code

FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Timpson. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIPShare of city landFlood lossesPaid
75975100%1$0

Homes in Timpson

Housing units663
Median year built1973
Built before 198063%
Built 2000 or later10%
Owner-occupied40%
Median value, owner-occupied$82,000
Single-family detached56%

Nearby cities

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Garrison 8 mi 81% 69%
Gary City 9 mi 64% 65%
Tenaha 9 mi 78% 52%
Center 15 mi 46% 31%
Mount Enterprise 17 mi under 1% 16%
Carthage 17 mi 73% 73%
Appleby 18 mi 8% 37%
Joaquin 21 mi 28% 70%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status