Willacy County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 18% of Willacy County's mapped land, a higher share than 68% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 34%.
100% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 152 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 43% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1984.
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 Willacy County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 18.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 34.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 48.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 20.2% |
| Mapped soil | 471,264 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Raymondville | 12% | n/a |
| Racombes | 7% | n/a |
| Hidalgo | 5% | 0% |
| Willacy | 5% | n/a |
| Lyford | 5% | n/a |
| Nueces | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX489 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.5% by land area here, and 20% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 18% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 100% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 18% of Willacy County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 34% of Willacy 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: 21.93 in, 3.41 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 25.34 in.
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 39 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 24 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 | 2.2% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
152 flood losses since 2016, $3.1 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 48. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 81% slabs, 10% crawl spaces, 9% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 8 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 38 |
| 2020 | 48 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 41 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 25.34 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 21.93 in (-3.41) |
| 2025 | 31.01 in (+5.67) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 39.73 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1898: 8.21 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PORT MANSFIELD (12 mi away) | 7.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 6,885 |
| Median year built | 1984 |
| Built before 1980 | 43% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 75% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $73,600 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Willacy County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyford | 6% | 11% | 664 |
| Raymondville | 23% | 11% | 3,191 |
| San Perlita | 3% | 24% | 170 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron County, TX | 27 mi | 29% | 26% |
| Kenedy County, TX | 28 mi | 1% | 39% |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 36 mi | 12% | 6% |
| Brooks County, TX | 54 mi | 1% | 9% |
| Kleberg County, TX | 66 mi | 31% | 18% |
| Starr County, TX | 71 mi | 14% | 1% |
| Jim Hogg County, TX | 81 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Nueces County, TX | 87 mi | 56% | 9% |
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