Walker County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 40% of Walker County's mapped land, a higher share than 86% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 63%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 210 flood losses here since 2016, 1% of them in buildings with basements. 33% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1989.
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 Walker County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 39.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 62.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 54.1% |
| Mapped soil | 512,870 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Falba | 14% | n/a |
| Annona | 13% | n/a |
| Depcor | 11% | n/a |
| Kanebreak | 6% | n/a |
| Huntsburg | 6% | n/a |
| Elmina | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX471 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.4% by land area here, and 54% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 40% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 40% of Walker County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 63% of Walker 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: 34.74 in, 13.04 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 47.78 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 October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 36 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 22 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 | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
210 flood losses since 2016, $12.8 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 121. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 1% basements, 72% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 22% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 20 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 14 |
| 2017 | 37 |
| 2018 | 14 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 121 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 47.78 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.74 in (-13.04) |
| 2025 | 43.59 in (-4.19) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2024: 71.52 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1917: 19.01 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HUNTSVILLE (3 mi away) | 16 |
Homes
| Housing units | 30,383 |
| Median year built | 1989 |
| Built before 1980 | 33% |
| Built 2000 or later | 34% |
| Owner-occupied | 56% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $226,900 |
| Single-family detached | 51% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Walker County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | 36% | 58% | 18,184 |
| New Waverly | 43% | 53% | 447 |
| Riverside | 54% | 58% | 354 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, TX | 26 mi | 52% | 48% |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 27 mi | 16% | 42% |
| Grimes County, TX | 28 mi | 61% | 40% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 31 mi | 15% | 65% |
| Trinity County, TX | 35 mi | 13% | 74% |
| Houston County, TX | 41 mi | 23% | 50% |
| Polk County, TX | 44 mi | 23% | 45% |
| Brazos County, TX | 44 mi | 57% | 26% |
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