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Amsterdam, Ohio
Inside Amsterdam's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 18% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 17 cities in Jefferson County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3%.
That water-table share is above Jefferson County's 11%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43903 overlapping the city. Of its 182 homes, 97% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1939 or earlier.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Jefferson 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 Amsterdam
Basement waterproofing in Amsterdam: a shallow water table limits basements on 18% of Amsterdam's mapped land.
In Jefferson County, 70% of the 20 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 200 of Amsterdam's 182 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Amsterdam city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 18.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 64.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.2% |
| Mapped soil | 205 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Richland | 23% | n/a |
| Berks | 16% | under 1% |
| Westmoreland | 12% | 0% |
| Tioga | 12% | n/a |
| Gilpin | 9% | under 1% |
| Guernsey | 7% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 18% of Amsterdam's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 65% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Jefferson County
0% of Jefferson 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 Amsterdam. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43903 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Amsterdam
| Housing units | 182 |
| Median year built | 1939 or earlier |
| Built before 1980 | 97% |
| Built 2000 or later | 3% |
| Owner-occupied | 68% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $66,900 |
| Single-family detached | 90% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bergholz | 4 mi | 1% | 41% |
| Richmond | 8 mi | 27% | 8% |
| Jewett | 8 mi | under 1% | 83% |
| Scio | 10 mi | 4% | 61% |
| Hopedale | 10 mi | 20% | 56% |
| Bloomingdale | 11 mi | 33% | 14% |
| Salineville | 11 mi | 1% | 23% |
| Carrollton | 12 mi | under 1% | 45% |
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