Ward County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4% of Ward County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 0%.
99.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses here since 2016. 66% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
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 Ward County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 57.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.9% |
| Mapped soil | 534,822 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Pyote | 26% | n/a |
| Delnorte | 19% | n/a |
| Sharvana | 10% | n/a |
| McCarran | 10% | n/a |
| Wickett | 6% | n/a |
| Monahans | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX475 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 8.60 in, 3.07 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 11.67 in.
USDA rates 58% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 4% and a shallow water table on 0% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Ward County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
99.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 40 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 31 weeks, most recently on the September 29, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 99.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 44.8% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
FEMA's flood data list no flood losses in Ward County since 2016.
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 11.67 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 8.60 in (-3.07) |
| 2025 | 8.96 in (-2.71) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 25.95 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 2.37 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WINKLER CO AP (20 mi away) | 2.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 5,165 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 66% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 79% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $150,700 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Ward County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barstow | 0% | 0% | 119 |
| Grandfalls | 0% | 0% | 194 |
| Pyote | 0% | 0% | 53 |
| Thorntonville | 0% | 0% | 283 |
| Wickett | 0% | 0% | 261 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winkler County, TX | 24 mi | 0% | 0% |
| Crane County, TX | 32 mi | 1% | under 1% |
| Loving County, TX | 34 mi | 2% | 4% |
| Reeves County, TX | 39 mi | 11% | 1% |
| Ector County, TX | 41 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Pecos County, TX | 55 mi | 8% | 1% |
| Andrews County, TX | 62 mi | 2% | under 1% |
| Upton County, TX | 63 mi | 2% | under 1% |
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