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Albany, Ohio
Inside Albany's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 86% of mapped land, the highest of 10 cities in Athens County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 10%.
That water-table share is above Athens County's 27%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45710 overlapping the city. Of its 483 homes, 50% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1980.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Athens County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Albany
Basement waterproofing in Albany: a shallow water table limits basements on 86% of Albany's mapped land, more than in 73% of Ohio cities.
In Athens County, 8% of the 26 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 300 of Albany's 483 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Albany city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 9.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 86.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 9.7% |
| Mapped soil | 872 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Omulga | 53% | 99% |
| Doles | 10% | n/a |
| Newark | 6% | n/a |
| Licking | 6% | n/a |
| Guernsey | 3% | n/a |
| Westmoreland | 3% | 0% |
What the numbers mean here
On 86% of Albany's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Athens County
0% of Athens County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Albany. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45710 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Albany
| Housing units | 483 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 57% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $145,600 |
| Single-family detached | 59% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens | 9 mi | 25% | 22% |
| Zaleski | 11 mi | 2% | 77% |
| Wilkesville | 13 mi | 13% | 76% |
| Chauncey | 13 mi | 10% | 49% |
| Rutland | 13 mi | 40% | 32% |
| McArthur | 15 mi | 7% | 81% |
| Pomeroy | 16 mi | 44% | 14% |
| Nelsonville | 16 mi | 11% | 22% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status