Belmont County, Ohio
A shallow water table limits basements on 18% of Belmont County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 23%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 50 flood losses here since 2016, 52% of them in buildings with basements. 71% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1965.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Belmont County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 23.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 17.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.1% |
| Mapped soil | 346,835 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland | 23% | 0% |
| Lowell | 21% | 4% |
| Morristown | 11% | n/a |
| Fairpoint | 8% | n/a |
| Dekalb | 4% | n/a |
| Culleoka | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OH013 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.2% by land area here, and 4% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 23% of the mapped land.
On 18% of Belmont County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 44.31 in, 1.38 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 42.93 in.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 4 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 27.6% of its area, on the October 14, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
50 flood losses since 2016, $1.1 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 26. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 52% basements, 37% slabs, 11% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 30 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 26 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 42.93 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 44.31 in (+1.38) |
| 2025 | 34.51 in (-8.42) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 63.82 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 25.10 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WHEELING (13 mi away) | 7.3 |
Homes
| Housing units | 31,522 |
| Median year built | 1965 |
| Built before 1980 | 71% |
| Built 2000 or later | 13% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $154,900 |
| Single-family detached | 77% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Belmont County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnesville | 33% | 30% | 1,729 |
| Bellaire | 15% | 16% | 2,214 |
| Belmont | 3% | 8% | 178 |
| Bethesda | 4% | 12% | 680 |
| Bridgeport | 25% | 18% | 818 |
| Brookside | 26% | 24% | 331 |
| Flushing | 21% | 13% | 475 |
| Holloway | 21% | 22% | 182 |
| Martins Ferry | 28% | 17% | 3,442 |
| Morristown | 28% | 34% | 134 |
| Powhatan Point | 10% | 16% | 747 |
| Shadyside | 8% | 6% | 1,833 |
| St. Clairsville | 37% | 41% | 2,471 |
| Yorkville | 1% | 2% | 561 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio County, WV | 19 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Marshall County, WV | 19 mi | 5% | 48% |
| Harrison County, OH | 20 mi | 27% | 29% |
| Monroe County, OH | 21 mi | 27% | 18% |
| Brooke County, WV | 26 mi | 1% | 9% |
| Guernsey County, OH | 28 mi | 23% | 34% |
| Jefferson County, OH | 28 mi | 21% | 11% |
| Noble County, OH | 31 mi | 31% | 18% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status