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Benton Ridge, Ohio
Inside Benton Ridge's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 70% of mapped land, higher than 54% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 21%.
That water-table share is below Hancock County's 93%. FEMA's flood data list 118 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 157 homes, 86% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1939 or earlier.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hancock 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 Benton Ridge
Basement waterproofing in Benton Ridge: a shallow water table limits basements on 70% of Benton Ridge's mapped land, more than in 54% of Ohio cities, and the 2 ZIP codes overlapping Benton Ridge logged 118 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Hancock County, 64% of the 39 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 100 of Benton Ridge's 157 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Benton Ridge city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 21.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 69.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.3% |
| Mapped soil | 241 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.7% by land area here, and 1% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 21% of the mapped land.
On 70% of Benton Ridge'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 Hancock County
0% of Hancock 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 Benton Ridge. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45816 | 71% | 0 | $0 |
| 45840 | 30% | 118 | $1.6 million |
Homes in Benton Ridge
| Housing units | 157 |
| Median year built | 1939 or earlier |
| Built before 1980 | 86% |
| Built 2000 or later | 3% |
| Owner-occupied | 85% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $129,200 |
| Single-family detached | 95% |
Nearby cities
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