HomeOhioStark CountyEast Sparta
East Sparta, Ohio
Inside East Sparta's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 41% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 15%, the highest of 18 cities in Stark County.
That water-table share is below Stark County's 60%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44626 overlapping the city. Of its 365 homes, 92% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1945.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Stark 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 East Sparta
Basement waterproofing in East Sparta: a shallow water table limits basements on 41% of East Sparta's mapped land.
In Stark County, 46% of the 35 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 300 of East Sparta's 365 homes are detached houses.
Soil under East Sparta city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 40.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 15.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 7.3% |
| Mapped soil | 1,172 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.3% by land area here, and 15% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 15% of the mapped land.
On 41% of East Sparta's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Stark County
0% of Stark 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 East Sparta. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44626 | 96% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in East Sparta
| Housing units | 365 |
| Median year built | 1945 |
| Built before 1980 | 92% |
| Built 2000 or later | 2% |
| Owner-occupied | 86% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $136,400 |
| Single-family detached | 90% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnolia | 4 mi | under 1% | 27% |
| Mineral City | 4 mi | 7% | 54% |
| Zoar | 5 mi | 1% | 22% |
| Bolivar | 5 mi | 0% | 2% |
| Waynesburg | 5 mi | 0% | 18% |
| Navarre | 9 mi | under 1% | 43% |
| East Canton | 10 mi | 3% | 65% |
| Strasburg | 10 mi | 1% | 4% |
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