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Cuyahoga County, Ohio

A shallow water table limits basements on 51% of Cuyahoga County's mapped land, a higher share than 67% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%.

None of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 172 flood losses here since 2016, 47% of them in buildings with basements. 80% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1957.

Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources

1%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

51%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, September 22, 2026

80%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Cuyahoga County

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.7%
High water table (limits basements)50.9%
Septic fields very limited60.2%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)3.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.7%
Urban land, not rated25.9%
Mapped soil295,287 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Mahoning18%100%
Ellsworth10%99%
Mitiwanga5%95%
Brecksville3%n/a
Wadsworth2%n/a
Loudonville2%n/a
Geauga County: 84%Lake County: 73%Summit County: 63%Lorain County: 91%Medina County: 91%Portage County: 78%Trumbull County: 77%Ashtabula County: 89%Cuyahoga County GeaugaLakeSummitLorainMedinaPortageTrumbullAshtabulaCuyahoga
Cuyahoga County (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas OH035 (2025-08-27)

What the numbers mean here

On 51% of Cuyahoga 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: 37.66 in, 2.33 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 39.99 in.

USDA rates 60% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 5 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the October 7, 2025 map.

September 30, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklySeptember 22, 2026
Category, September 22, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse0%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

172 flood losses since 2016, $6.7 million paid. The worst year was 2020, with 78. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 47% basements, 43% slabs, 1% crawl spaces, 9% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 12 in.

YearFlood losses
20164
201717
201819
201916
202078
20217
20225
202311
20247
20257
2026 to date1

Rain

Average year, 1991-202039.99 in
12 months to August 202637.66 in (-2.33)
202537.40 in (-2.59)
Wettest year since 18952011: 56.30 in
Driest year since 18951963: 20.12 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CLEVELAND (16 mi away)7.4

Homes

Housing units615,331
Median year built1957
Built before 198080%
Built 2000 or later8%
Owner-occupied59%
Median value, owner-occupied$195,400
Single-family detached59%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Basement waterproofing, US $3,000 to $10,000 Fixr, February 6, 2026
Sump pump installation, US $800 to $2,000 Fixr, January 31, 2025
Crawl space encapsulation, US $2,000 to $8,000 Fixr, August 29, 2025

Cities in Cuyahoga County

CityExpansive clayHigh water tableHomes
Bay Village0%51%6,359
Beachwood0%58%6,581
Bedford3%49%7,139
Bedford Heights0%38%5,761
Bentleyville4%69%262
Berea0%50%7,489
Bratenahl0%6%829
Brecksville6%76%5,964
Broadview Heightsunder 1%77%8,582
Brook Park0%39%8,320
Brooklyn0%43%5,289
Brooklyn Heights1%14%620
Chagrin Falls2%44%2,109
Clevelandunder 1%17%201,141
Cleveland Heights0%21%21,420
Cuyahoga Heights2%5%277
East Cleveland0%14%9,849
Euclid0%20%25,868
Fairview Park0%29%8,115
Garfield Heightsunder 1%28%13,000
Gates Mills2%49%886
Glenwillow0%62%295
Highland Heights0%66%3,653
Highland Hills0%80%293
Hunting Valley4%65%366
Independence3%45%3,217
Lakewood0%17%29,105
Linndale0%20%77
Lyndhurst0%35%7,291
Maple Heightsunder 1%37%9,933
Mayfield0%57%1,468
Mayfield Heights0%48%10,615
Middleburg Heights0%65%7,764
Moreland Hills6%64%1,558
Newburgh Heights1%13%986
North Olmsted0%58%14,131
North Randall0%26%562
North Royalton0%82%14,268
Oakwood0%67%1,359
Olmsted Falls0%71%3,959
Orange0%84%1,468
Parma0%53%36,157
Parma Heights0%51%9,529
Pepper Pike0%70%2,763
Richmond Heights0%57%5,542
Rocky River1%35%10,438
Seven Hills0%58%5,020
Shaker Heights0%32%13,947
Solon1%82%9,170
South Euclid0%31%9,173
Strongsville0%75%19,645
University Heights0%32%5,007
Valley View5%32%833
Walton Hills1%56%958
Warrensville Heights0%36%7,098
Westlakeunder 1%75%15,559
Woodmere0%45%336

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Geauga County, OH 23 mi 1% 84%
Lake County, OH 26 mi 0% 73%
Summit County, OH 30 mi 2% 63%
Lorain County, OH 31 mi 3% 91%
Medina County, OH 34 mi 1% 91%
Portage County, OH 34 mi 3% 78%
Trumbull County, OH 47 mi under 1% 77%
Ashtabula County, OH 51 mi 2% 89%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status