HomeOhioMontgomery CountyDayton
Dayton, Ohio
Inside Dayton's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 28% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6%.
That water-table share is below Montgomery County's 65%. USDA doesn't rate the 25% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 12 flood losses since 2016 in the 12 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 70,335 homes, 85% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1951.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Montgomery County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 12 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Dayton
Basement waterproofing in Dayton: a shallow water table limits basements on 28% of Dayton's mapped land, and the 12 ZIP codes overlapping Dayton logged 12 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Montgomery County, 65% of the 48 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 44,900 of Dayton's 70,335 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Dayton city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 28.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 66.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 25.0% |
| Mapped soil | 36,436 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 28% of Dayton's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 66% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Dayton covers 55.8 square miles of land and counts 70,335 housing units, about 1,261 per square mile.
48% of Dayton's occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $100,600; 7% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under Dayton is Miamian, on 26% of the mapped land, followed by Fox at 10%.
Clay swell, measured as linear extensibility, averages 4.2% across Dayton's 36,436 mapped acres.
Drought in Montgomery County
0% of Montgomery County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Dayton. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45417 | 22% | 4 | $16,531 |
| 45404 | 10% | 1 | $0 |
| 45402 | 8% | 0 | $0 |
| 45406 | 7% | 1 | $0 |
| 45403 | 6% | 0 | $0 |
| 45405 | 4% | 3 | $22,531 |
| 45410 | 4% | 0 | $0 |
| 45420 | 4% | 2 | $8,955 |
| 45409 | 2% | 1 | $0 |
| 45428 | 1% | 0 | $0 |
| 45423 | 0% | 0 | $0 |
| 45469 | 0% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Dayton
| Housing units | 70,335 |
| Median year built | 1951 |
| Built before 1980 | 85% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 48% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $100,600 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | 4 mi | 3% | 32% |
| Oakwood | 5 mi | 3% | 16% |
| Moraine | 6 mi | 3% | 33% |
| Trotwood | 7 mi | 22% | 65% |
| Vandalia | 7 mi | 11% | 73% |
| Kettering | 7 mi | 6% | 28% |
| Huber Heights | 7 mi | 14% | 67% |
| Beavercreek | 8 mi | 4% | 60% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status