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How deep are water wells in McKinney, Texas?

Home water wells in and around McKinney, Texas are typically 835 to 1,080 feet deep (median 980 ft, 31 wells reported since 2001). Most are completed in the Woodbine Aquifer (77%), and 16% are completed in younger formations above the Woodbine, according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $27,000 to $65,500.

Updated every day from Texas Water Development Board driller reports. Last update: November 11, 2026, using the state file of November 10, 2026.

See the wells and layers at an exact pointCollin County
What is under McKinney, TexasUnderground column at the center of McKinney: median well 980 ft, middle half 835 to 1,080 ft, water at 500 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 781 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 781 to 1,232 ftWoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg: 1,232 to 1,791 ftWashita and Frederick…continues to 3,227 ft05001,0001,500ftGround level · 628 ft above sea levelMedian well: 980 ftWater standing in the well from 500 ftWater level500 ftMiddle half835–1,080 ftMedian well980 ft

Under McKinney, Collin County

Layers at the center of McKinney from TWDB's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (quarter mile cells, summarized here to about 1.3 miles), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 31 real wells.

Home wells in and around McKinney

Each dot is a home well from a state driller report, colored by depth. Tap one for its details and official report. Tap an empty spot to see what is under that point.

See underground

Well depth (ft)

  • <100
  • 100
  • 200
  • 300
  • 400
  • 600
  • 800+

Dashed line: McKinney and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
835 to 1,080 feet
Median depth
980 feet
Deepest 10% are past
1,320 feet
Water level (median)
500 feet
21 wells
Yield (median)
18.5 gpm
26 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
31
Since 2001
Inside the city limits
3
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
31
median 980 ft, since 2001
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 500 feet below the surface (21 wells).

What is under McKinney, TexasUnderground column at the center of McKinney: median well 980 ft, middle half 835 to 1,080 ft, water at 500 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 781 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 781 to 1,232 ftWoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg: 1,232 to 1,791 ftWashita and Frederick…continues to 3,227 ft05001,0001,500ftGround level · 628 ft above sea levelMedian well: 980 ftWater standing in the well from 500 ftWater level500 ftMiddle half835–1,080 ftMedian well980 ft
Layers at the center of McKinney from TWDB's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (quarter mile cells, summarized here to about 1.3 miles), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 31 real wells.

Which formation do wells in McKinney draw from?

Most are completed in the Woodbine Aquifer (77%), and 16% are completed in younger formations above the Woodbine, according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB).

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Woodbine77%24876–1,105
Above the Woodbine16%567–70
At or just below the base of the WoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg7%2—

Only 32% of these wells have the water-bearing interval on their report (reports before about 2012 rarely do). For the others we use the bottom of the hole, which tends to read one layer deeper than where the water actually comes from.

The layers under the center of McKinney

From the state's model, at 628 feet above sea level. These are the model's depths at that one point, not those of any particular lot.

Depths in feet below ground.
Layer (state's model)Top (ft)Bottom (ft)Thickness (ft)
Above the Woodbineshale, chalk and marl0781781
Woodbinesandstone with shale7811,232451
Washita and Fredericksburglimestone, marl and clay1,2321,791558
Upper Trinitysandstone, limestone and marl1,7912,552761
Lower Trinitysandstone with shale and limestone2,5523,227675

Depth over time

Too few wells per period in and around McKinney to compare depth over time. Since 2001, 31 home wells have been reported, with a median of 980 feet.

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–200586011
2006–2010under 10 wells4
2011–2015under 10 wells6
2016–2020under 10 wells5
2021–2025under 10 wells3
2026under 10 wells2

What a well costs in McKinney

At the median depth for McKinney (980 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $27,000 to $65,500: $25 to $60 per foot for drilling, casing and seal, plus $2,500 to $6,500 for the pump, pressure tank, controls and hookup at the well. Across the whole middle half of depths (835 to 1,080 feet) the range runs from $23,500 to $71,500. This is TerraFunded's estimate from published Texas prices, not a quote, and it leaves out trenching and the line to the house. Get prices from at least two licensed drillers.

Where it sits

Nearby places

Median depth of home wells in each place.

All Texas cities and towns

Common questions

How deep do you have to drill a well in McKinney, Texas?

Home water wells in and around McKinney, Texas are typically 835 to 1,080 feet deep (median 980 ft, 31 wells reported since 2001). One in ten goes past 1,320 feet. The depth a given tract needs depends on where it sits and what layers the driller hits.

What aquifer or formation do wells in McKinney draw from?

Most are completed in the Woodbine Aquifer (77%), and 16% are completed in younger formations above the Woodbine, according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). This is an estimate from the state's regional model, not a survey of the lot.

How much does a water well cost in McKinney?

At the median depth (980 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $27,000 to $65,500, by TerraFunded's estimate from published Texas driller prices. The real price comes from a licensed driller's quote.

How deep is the water in McKinney?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 500 feet below the surface (21 wells). The level moves with drought and from one well to the next.

Do I need a permit to drill a well in McKinney?

McKinney is inside the North Texas Groundwater Conservation District. Groundwater conservation districts in Texas can require registering or permitting a new well, keeping set distances from property lines and other wells, and paying fees. Rules differ from district to district: ask the district before drilling.

How these numbers are made

We count new and replacement domestic (home) wells whose coordinates fall inside the place boundary or within 2 miles of it. We use the last 10 years when there are at least 30 wells; otherwise all since 2001. The median is the middle well and the middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile.

To tell which layer a well draws from, we take the ground elevation at its location, subtract the depth of the interval where water enters (or the bottom of the hole when the report does not give one) and see which layer of the state's model that point falls in.

Only 32% of these wells have the water-bearing interval on their report (reports before about 2012 rarely do). For the others we use the bottom of the hole, which tends to read one layer deeper than where the water actually comes from.

How well it works: In 7,977 wells in the area of the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (North and Central Texas) where the State of Texas recorded the aquifer, our estimate of the formation the well draws from names the same layer of the state's model in about 74% of them, and that layer or the one next to it in at least 95%; among the 3,130 of those wells that the state places in a Trinity layer (Paluxy to Hosston) it is about 56%.

  • The layers come from the Texas Water Development Board's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model, with quarter mile cells, summarized here to about 1.3 miles. It is a regional model, not a survey of any lot: between one model point and the next, the real depth of each layer can differ.
  • In this model every layer is at least 30 feet thick, even where the real rock is thinner or missing. Thin layers and the edges of the model are approximate.
  • Inside the Trinity this atlas does not name single model layers: it groups the Paluxy and Glen Rose (upper Trinity) and groups the Hensell, Pearsall and Hosston (lower Trinity, Twin Mountains and Travis Peak), because the check against the state's codes shows the method cannot separate them reliably.
  • "Near or below the base of the Trinity" means the well reaches the bottom of the model or passes it, often by tens of feet. Older rock that the model does not include may lie there.
  • We never use the model's water levels. The water level on this page is the one each driller measured when the well was finished.

These are depths of real wells drilled nearby, not a promise about any property. Groundwater can change over short distances and with drought. A licensed water well driller can tell you what to expect on a specific tract.

Read the full methodology · Download the data (CSV, CC BY 4.0)

How to cite

TerraFunded (2026). Texas Well Atlas: Underground. From Texas Water Development Board driller reports and groundwater availability models (data as of November 10, 2026). https://terrafunded.com/wells/places/mckinney-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources