Travis County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 39% of Travis County's mapped land, a higher share than 86% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 455 flood losses here since 2016, under 1% of them in buildings with basements. 24% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1999.
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 Travis County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 38.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 80.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 33.4% |
| Urban land, not rated | 3.4% |
| Mapped soil | 655,584 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Brackett | 16% | 0% |
| Houston Black | 15% | 91% |
| Eckrant | 11% | 8% |
| Heiden | 7% | 80% |
| Volente | 4% | n/a |
| Austin | 3% | 93% |
How we count · survey areas TX453 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.2% by land area here, and 33% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 39% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 39% of Travis County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 28.55 in, 6.94 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 35.49 in.
USDA rates 81% 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 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 27 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 | 61% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 22% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
455 flood losses since 2016, $13.5 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 151. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: under 1% basements, 75% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 14 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 106 |
| 2017 | 29 |
| 2018 | 151 |
| 2019 | 39 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 15 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 36 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 53 |
| 2026 to date | 5 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 35.49 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 28.55 in (-6.94) |
| 2025 | 28.15 in (-7.34) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1919: 57.85 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 11.47 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at AUSTIN-CAMP MABRY (7 mi away) | 11 |
Homes
| Housing units | 618,236 |
| Median year built | 1999 |
| Built before 1980 | 24% |
| Built 2000 or later | 48% |
| Owner-occupied | 52% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $523,000 |
| Single-family detached | 52% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Travis County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | 40% | under 1% | 483,071 |
| Bee Cave | 16% | 0% | 4,283 |
| Briarcliff | 9% | 0% | 1,165 |
| Creedmoor | 85% | under 1% | 202 |
| Jonestown | 2% | 0% | 1,321 |
| Lago Vista | 4% | 0% | 4,926 |
| Lakeway | 9% | 0% | 8,561 |
| Manor | 84% | 1% | 6,810 |
| Mustang Ridge | 88% | under 1% | 553 |
| Pflugerville | 66% | under 1% | 25,627 |
| Point Venture | under 1% | 0% | 987 |
| Rollingwood | 3% | 0% | 471 |
| San Leanna | 35% | 0% | 570 |
| Sunset Valley | 58% | 0% | 357 |
| The Hills | 19% | 0% | 1,158 |
| Volente | 1% | 0% | 347 |
| Webberville | 32% | 1% | 186 |
| West Lake Hills | 4% | 0% | 1,353 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hays County, TX | 24 mi | 14% | under 1% |
| Bastrop County, TX | 25 mi | 52% | 14% |
| Caldwell County, TX | 28 mi | 59% | 6% |
| Williamson County, TX | 29 mi | 60% | 1% |
| Blanco County, TX | 42 mi | 28% | 0% |
| Lee County, TX | 43 mi | 48% | 25% |
| Comal County, TX | 45 mi | 19% | under 1% |
| Guadalupe County, TX | 48 mi | 52% | 8% |
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