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Bowling Green, Ohio
Inside Bowling Green's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 76% of mapped land, higher than 62% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 39%.
That water-table share is below Wood County's 91%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 12,626 homes, 50% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1980.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Wood 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 Bowling Green
Basement waterproofing in Bowling Green: a shallow water table limits basements on 76% of Bowling Green's mapped land, more than in 62% of Ohio cities.
About 4,900 of Bowling Green's 12,626 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Bowling Green city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 39.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 76.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 9.7% |
| Mapped soil | 8,771 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Hoytville | 39% | 99% |
| Mermill | 8% | n/a |
| Spinks | 5% | n/a |
| Colwood | 5% | n/a |
| Ottokee | 5% | n/a |
| Nappanee | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.1% by land area here, and 0% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 39% of the mapped land.
On 76% of Bowling Green's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Wood County
0% of Wood 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 Bowling Green. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43402 | 98% | 0 | $0 |
| 43403 | 2% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Bowling Green
| Housing units | 12,626 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 34% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $226,100 |
| Single-family detached | 39% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portage | 4 mi | 41% | 73% |
| Tontogany | 6 mi | 70% | 98% |
| Haskins | 7 mi | 85% | over 99% |
| Weston | 8 mi | 36% | 92% |
| Jerry City | 9 mi | 43% | 90% |
| Cygnet | 10 mi | 73% | 92% |
| Waterville | 10 mi | 27% | 71% |
| Luckey | 10 mi | 11% | 36% |
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