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Elyria, Ohio
Inside Elyria's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 72% of mapped land, higher than 56% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 8%, the 3rd-highest of 16 cities in Lorain County.
That water-table share is below Lorain County's 91%. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44035 overlapping the city. Of its 25,182 homes, 75% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1967.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Lorain 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
Soil under Elyria city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 72.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 76.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 11.6% |
| Mapped soil | 13,270 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Fitchville | 18% | 96% |
| Mahoning | 15% | 100% |
| Luray | 8% | n/a |
| Sebring | 5% | n/a |
| Miner | 5% | n/a |
| Haskins | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 72% of Elyria's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 77% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Lorain County
0% of Lorain County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Elyria. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44035 | 100% | 7 | $116,185 |
Homes in Elyria
| Housing units | 25,182 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 60% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $156,100 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Ridgeville | 4 mi | 5% | 87% |
| Sheffield | 5 mi | 8% | 89% |
| Lorain | 6 mi | 5% | 71% |
| Avon | 7 mi | 11% | 85% |
| Amherst | 7 mi | 5% | 74% |
| South Amherst | 7 mi | 7% | 82% |
| Grafton | 8 mi | 2% | 97% |
| Sheffield Lake | 8 mi | 1% | 77% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status