Wharton County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 68% of Wharton County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 32%.
85.9% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, up from 27.8% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 647 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 51% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
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 Wharton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 67.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 32.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 8.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 67.3% |
| Mapped soil | 700,474 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles | 21% | 97% |
| Edna | 16% | n/a |
| Bernard | 8% | 43% |
| Brazoria | 8% | n/a |
| Dacosta | 7% | n/a |
| Nada | 7% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX481 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 8.9% by land area here, and 67% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 68% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 85.9% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 68% of Wharton County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 32% of Wharton 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: 36.93 in, 8.89 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 45.82 in.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
85.9% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 41 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 26 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 | 85.9% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
647 flood losses since 2016, $42.1 million paid. The worst year was 2017, with 488. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 74% slabs, 6% crawl spaces, 20% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 19 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 76 |
| 2017 | 488 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 67 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 45.82 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 36.93 in (-8.89) |
| 2025 | 33.89 in (-11.93) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2004: 68.07 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 17.97 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at DANEVANG 1 W (15 mi away) | 14.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 17,711 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 51% |
| Built 2000 or later | 24% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $189,900 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Wharton County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Bernard | 74% | 36% | 1,083 |
| El Campo | 86% | 32% | 4,780 |
| Wharton | 47% | 8% | 3,885 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado County, TX | 28 mi | 37% | 24% |
| Jackson County, TX | 31 mi | 67% | 24% |
| Fort Bend County, TX | 32 mi | 64% | 42% |
| Matagorda County, TX | 37 mi | 62% | 28% |
| Lavaca County, TX | 42 mi | 48% | 37% |
| Austin County, TX | 42 mi | 38% | 20% |
| Brazoria County, TX | 49 mi | 64% | 44% |
| Waller County, TX | 53 mi | 24% | 40% |
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