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Waxahachie, Texas
Inside Waxahachie's city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 73% of mapped land, higher than 77% of Texas cities. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is close to Ellis County's 72%. FEMA's flood data list 16 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 16,840 homes, 27% were built before 1980; the median dates from 2004.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Ellis County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Foundation repair in Waxahachie
Foundation repair in Waxahachie: shrink-swell clay limits slab homes on 73% of Waxahachie's mapped land, more than in 77% of Texas cities.
About 12,000 of Waxahachie's 16,840 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 Waxahachie city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 72.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 82.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 46.3% |
| Mapped soil | 32,635 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Black | 34% | 91% |
| Austin | 24% | 93% |
| Heiden | 7% | 80% |
| Stephen | 6% | n/a |
| Eddy | 5% | 0% |
| Lewisville | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.3% by land area here, and 46% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 73% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Ellis County is in drought on the latest map, and 73% of Waxahachie's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 83% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Ellis County
100% of Ellis 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 Waxahachie. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75165 | 68% | 12 | $621,617 |
| 75167 | 30% | 4 | $35,329 |
Homes in Waxahachie
| Housing units | 16,840 |
| Median year built | 2004 |
| Built before 1980 | 27% |
| Built 2000 or later | 59% |
| Owner-occupied | 60% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $336,500 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pecan Hill | 7 mi | 78% | under 1% |
| Oak Leaf | 7 mi | 77% | under 1% |
| Red Oak | 8 mi | 81% | under 1% |
| Midlothian | 10 mi | 44% | under 1% |
| Ovilla | 10 mi | 56% | under 1% |
| Palmer | 10 mi | 83% | under 1% |
| Glenn Heights | 10 mi | 75% | under 1% |
| Garrett | 11 mi | 88% | 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