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Athens, Ohio
Inside Athens' city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 22% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 25%, the 2nd-highest of 10 cities in Athens County.
That water-table share is close to Athens County's 27%. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45701 overlapping the city. Of its 8,221 homes, 61% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1970.
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 Athens
Basement waterproofing in Athens: a shallow water table limits basements on 22% of Athens' mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Athens logged 4 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Athens County, 8% of the 26 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 3,400 of Athens' 8,221 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Athens city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 25.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 22.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 81.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 25.3% |
| Mapped soil | 6,517 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Haymond | 16% | n/a |
| Westmoreland | 15% | 0% |
| Guernsey | 11% | n/a |
| Upshur | 9% | 0% |
| Berks | 5% | under 1% |
| Vandalia | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.9% by land area here, and 25% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 25% of the mapped land.
On 22% of Athens' mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 81% 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 Athens. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45701 | 100% | 4 | $275,896 |
Homes in Athens
| Housing units | 8,221 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 61% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 33% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $247,000 |
| Single-family detached | 42% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chauncey | 5 mi | 10% | 49% |
| Albany | 9 mi | 10% | 86% |
| Amesville | 9 mi | 42% | 47% |
| Jacksonville | 10 mi | 4% | 60% |
| Buchtel | 10 mi | 19% | 29% |
| Trimble | 11 mi | 12% | 34% |
| Nelsonville | 11 mi | 11% | 22% |
| Glouster | 12 mi | 10% | 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