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Amberley, Ohio
Inside Amberley's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 15% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 36 cities in Hamilton County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6%.
That water-table share is above Hamilton County's 9%. USDA doesn't rate the 43% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 10 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 1,413 homes, 89% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1959.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hamilton County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Amberley
Basement waterproofing in Amberley: a shallow water table limits basements on 15% of Amberley's mapped land, and the 2 ZIP codes overlapping Amberley logged 10 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Hamilton County, 52% of the 251 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 1,400 of Amberley's 1,413 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Amberley city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 14.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 29.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.4% |
| Urban land, not rated | 43.5% |
| Mapped soil | 2,223 acres |
What the numbers mean here
With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on 15% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Amberley; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Hamilton County
0% of Hamilton 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 Amberley. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45237 | 58% | 10 | $88,026 |
| 45236 | 34% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Amberley
| Housing units | 1,413 |
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Built before 1980 | 89% |
| Built 2000 or later | 3% |
| Owner-occupied | 98% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $515,400 |
| Single-family detached | 99% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 1 mi | 7% | 4% |
| Golf Manor | 1 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Deer Park | 2 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Arlington Heights | 2 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Silverton | 2 mi | 5% | 4% |
| Lockland | 2 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Lincoln Heights | 3 mi | 0% | 1% |
| Madeira | 3 mi | 8% | 7% |
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