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Uvalde, Texas
Inside Uvalde's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23% of mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is close to Uvalde County's 23%. FEMA's flood data list 42 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 78801 overlapping the city. Of its 6,061 homes, 54% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1978.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Uvalde County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Uvalde
Foundation repair in Uvalde: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 23% of Uvalde's mapped land.
About 4,500 of Uvalde's 6,061 homes are detached houses.
| Who designs the repair | The ASCE Texas Section's repair guidelines say a Texas-licensed engineer should evaluate the foundation and design the repair (2022 guidelines) |
| Prices | Cost guide ranges compared |
Soil under Uvalde city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 22.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | under 0.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 22.9% |
| Mapped soil | 4,947 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Uvalde | 53% | n/a |
| Knippa | 20% | n/a |
| Montell | 6% | n/a |
| Olmos | 6% | n/a |
| Oakalla | 5% | n/a |
| Castroville | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 23% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 89.5% of Uvalde County is in drought on the latest map, and 23% of Uvalde's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Uvalde County
89.5% of Uvalde County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Uvalde. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78801 | 100% | 42 | $3.6 million |
Homes in Uvalde
| Housing units | 6,061 |
| Median year built | 1978 |
| Built before 1980 | 54% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $136,800 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sabinal | 20 mi | 48% | 0% |
| Camp Wood | 34 mi | 1% | 0% |
| Leakey | 35 mi | 32% | 0% |
| Crystal City | 36 mi | 37% | under 1% |
| Hondo | 38 mi | 70% | under 1% |
| Spofford | 38 mi | 12% | under 1% |
| Brackettville | 39 mi | 15% | 0% |
| Big Wells | 46 mi | 47% | under 1% |
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