Carey, Ohio
Inside Carey's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 84% of mapped land, higher than 70% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 34%, the 4th-highest of 8 cities in Wyandot County.
That water-table share is below Wyandot County's 90%. FEMA's flood data list 19 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43316 overlapping the city. Of its 1,657 homes, 68% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1952.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Wyandot 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 Carey
Basement waterproofing in Carey: a shallow water table limits basements on 84% of Carey's mapped land, more than in 70% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Carey logged 19 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 1,200 of Carey's 1,657 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Carey city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 33.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 84.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.9% |
| Urban land, not rated | 3.2% |
| Mapped soil | 1,383 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% 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 34% of the mapped land.
On 84% of Carey'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 Wyandot County
0% of Wyandot 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 Carey. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43316 | 100% | 19 | $344,290 |
Homes in Carey
| Housing units | 1,657 |
| Median year built | 1952 |
| Built before 1980 | 68% |
| Built 2000 or later | 14% |
| Owner-occupied | 66% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $158,100 |
| Single-family detached | 72% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanlue | 5 mi | 31% | 98% |
| Wharton | 7 mi | 43% | over 99% |
| New Riegel | 8 mi | 18% | 100% |
| Kirby | 9 mi | 44% | 100% |
| Mount Blanchard | 9 mi | 6% | 88% |
| Upper Sandusky | 10 mi | 10% | 78% |
| Sycamore | 11 mi | 8% | 78% |
| Forest | 12 mi | 22% | 98% |
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