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Dresden, Ohio
Inside Dresden's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 55% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 9 cities in Muskingum County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6%, the 5th-highest of 9 cities in Muskingum County.
That water-table share is above Muskingum County's 39%. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43821 overlapping the city. Of its 749 homes, 58% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1976.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Muskingum 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 Dresden
Basement waterproofing in Dresden: a shallow water table limits basements on 55% of Dresden's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Dresden logged 4 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Muskingum County, 41% of the 34 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 500 of Dresden's 749 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Dresden city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 55.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 85.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.0% |
| Mapped soil | 819 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Glenford | 16% | 97% |
| Lindside | 15% | n/a |
| Coshocton | 9% | 98% |
| Nolin | 7% | n/a |
| Westmoreland | 7% | 0% |
| Chavies | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 55% of Dresden's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 85% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Muskingum County
0% of Muskingum 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 Dresden. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43821 | 100% | 4 | $32,420 |
Homes in Dresden
| Housing units | 749 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $152,000 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frazeysburg | 6 mi | 4% | 22% |
| Conesville | 8 mi | 1% | 43% |
| Adamsville | 8 mi | 2% | 82% |
| Zanesville | 11 mi | 3% | 18% |
| Coshocton | 13 mi | 1% | 24% |
| Hanover | 14 mi | 0% | 34% |
| Warsaw | 15 mi | under 1% | 38% |
| Norwich | 15 mi | 36% | 56% |
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