Wichita County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 43% of Wichita County's mapped land, a higher share than 88% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 47 flood losses here since 2016, 5% of them in buildings with basements. 63% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1972.
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 Wichita County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 43.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 83.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 46.9% |
| Urban land, not rated | 3.0% |
| Mapped soil | 391,860 acres |
How we count · survey areas TX485 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 47% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 43% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 43% of Wichita County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 20.08 in, 9.61 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 29.69 in.
USDA rates 84% 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 52 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 28 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 | 100% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 96.3% |
| D4 exceptional | 51.9% |
Flood losses since 2016
47 flood losses since 2016, $1.6 million paid. The worst year was 2016, with 29. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 5% basements, 77% slabs, 18% crawl spaces.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 29 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 29.69 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 20.08 in (-9.61) |
| 2025 | 33.07 in (+3.38) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2015: 48.90 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 15.00 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WICHITA FALLS MUNI AP (12 mi away) | 8.2 |
Homes
| Housing units | 55,750 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 63% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 61% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $153,700 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Wichita County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burkburnett | 30% | under 1% | 4,993 |
| Cashion Community | 39% | under 1% | 140 |
| Electra | 78% | 0% | 1,188 |
| Iowa Park | 53% | 0% | 3,007 |
| Pleasant Valley | 40% | under 1% | 136 |
| Wichita Falls | 30% | under 1% | 43,371 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archer County, TX | 26 mi | 36% | under 1% |
| Cotton County, OK | 28 mi | 54% | 4% |
| Tillman County, OK | 29 mi | 47% | 2% |
| Wilbarger County, TX | 31 mi | 41% | under 1% |
| Clay County, TX | 32 mi | 23% | 2% |
| Baylor County, TX | 38 mi | 54% | under 1% |
| Comanche County, OK | 48 mi | 38% | 4% |
| Jefferson County, OK | 50 mi | 17% | 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