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Empire, Ohio
Inside Empire's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 2% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.
That water-table share is below Jefferson County's 11%. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 122 homes, 66% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1946.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Jefferson County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Empire
Basement waterproofing in Empire: a shallow water table limits basements on 2% of Empire's mapped land, and the 2 ZIP codes overlapping Empire logged 3 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Jefferson County, 70% of the 20 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 100 of Empire's 122 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Empire city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 2.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 60.8% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 10.4% |
| Mapped soil | 194 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland | 19% | 0% |
| Nolin | 18% | n/a |
| Berks | 14% | under 1% |
| Guernsey | 4% | n/a |
| Bethesda | 3% | n/a |
| Hazleton | 2% | 0% |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 61% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Empire; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Jefferson County
0% of Jefferson 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 Empire. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43926 | 55% | 1 | $5,780 |
| 43964 | 45% | 2 | $0 |
Homes in Empire
| Housing units | 122 |
| Median year built | 1946 |
| Built before 1980 | 66% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Single-family detached | 61% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stratton | 1 mi | 0% | 16% |
| Toronto | 4 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Wellsville | 7 mi | 0% | 13% |
| Irondale | 7 mi | 1% | 11% |
| East Liverpool | 9 mi | under 1% | 12% |
| Richmond | 9 mi | 27% | 8% |
| Steubenville | 10 mi | 13% | 5% |
| Wintersville | 10 mi | 25% | 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