Tyler County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18% of Tyler County's mapped land, a higher share than 68% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 34%.
56% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 0% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 60 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 42% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1985.
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 Tyler County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 18.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 33.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 73.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.1% |
| Mapped soil | 600,044 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Otanya | 8% | n/a |
| Shankler | 6% | n/a |
| Pinetucky | 5% | n/a |
| Hillister | 5% | n/a |
| Doucette | 5% | n/a |
| Kirbyville | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX457 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.6% by land area here, and 22% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 18% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 56% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Tyler County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 34% of Tyler County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 40.97 in, 16.30 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 57.27 in.
USDA rates 73% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
56% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 38 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 weeks, most recently on the September 1, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 92.2% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 56% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
60 flood losses since 2016, $2.0 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 29. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 83% slabs, 4% crawl spaces, 13% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 17.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 29 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 12 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 57.27 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.97 in (-16.30) |
| 2025 | 51.34 in (-5.93) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 83.67 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 31.50 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at TOWN BLUFF DAM (12 mi away) | 19.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,518 |
| Median year built | 1985 |
| Built before 1980 | 42% |
| Built 2000 or later | 27% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $157,300 |
| Single-family detached | 73% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Tyler County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chester | 42% | 30% | 102 |
| Colmesneil | 3% | 7% | 319 |
| Ivanhoe | 2% | 13% | 1,028 |
| Woodville | 6% | 32% | 1,328 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, TX | 21 mi | 15% | 43% |
| Polk County, TX | 27 mi | 23% | 45% |
| Hardin County, TX | 30 mi | 12% | 67% |
| Angelina County, TX | 36 mi | 27% | 44% |
| Newton County, TX | 38 mi | 13% | 36% |
| San Augustine County, TX | 44 mi | 20% | 28% |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 49 mi | 16% | 42% |
| Liberty County, TX | 49 mi | 46% | 76% |
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