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Wichita Falls, Texas
Inside Wichita Falls' city limits, shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 6 cities in Wichita County. A shallow water table limits basements on under 1%.
That clay share is below Wichita County's 43%. FEMA's flood data list 46 flood losses since 2016 in the 8 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 43,371 homes, 64% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1972.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Wichita County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 8 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Wichita Falls city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 0.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 6.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 43.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 21.8% |
| Mapped soil | 46,350 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Kamay | 15% | 89% |
| Bluegrove | 13% | n/a |
| Deandale | 7% | n/a |
| Renfrow | 6% | n/a |
| Mangum | 5% | n/a |
| Winters | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 6.1% by land area here, and 43% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of Wichita County is in drought on the latest map, and 30% of Wichita Falls' mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Wichita County
100% of Wichita County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Wichita Falls. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76306 | 20% | 9 | $330,835 |
| 76310 | 17% | 3 | $22,026 |
| 76301 | 16% | 0 | $0 |
| 76302 | 13% | 11 | $569,312 |
| 76305 | 12% | 4 | $36,985 |
| 76308 | 9% | 16 | $447,026 |
| 76309 | 8% | 3 | $44,246 |
| 76311 | 3% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Wichita Falls
| Housing units | 43,371 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 64% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 56% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $156,800 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Valley | 5 mi | 40% | under 1% |
| Lakeside City | 5 mi | 51% | 0% |
| Dean | 7 mi | 14% | 0% |
| Cashion Community | 9 mi | 39% | under 1% |
| Iowa Park | 10 mi | 53% | 0% |
| Jolly | 10 mi | 66% | 0% |
| Holliday | 11 mi | 41% | under 1% |
| Burkburnett | 12 mi | 30% | under 1% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status