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Glouster, Ohio
Inside Glouster's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 45% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 10 cities in Athens County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 10%.
That water-table share is above Athens County's 27%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45732 overlapping the city. Of its 730 homes, 87% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1943.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Athens 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 Glouster
Basement waterproofing in Glouster: a shallow water table limits basements on 45% of Glouster's mapped land.
In Athens County, 8% of the 26 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 600 of Glouster's 730 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Glouster city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 10.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 45.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.4% |
| Mapped soil | 849 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Chagrin | 23% | n/a |
| Westmoreland | 15% | 0% |
| Brookside | 15% | n/a |
| Guernsey | 9% | n/a |
| Fitchville | 9% | 96% |
| Berks | 5% | under 1% |
What the numbers mean here
On 45% of Glouster's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Athens County
0% of Athens 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 Glouster. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45732 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Glouster
| Housing units | 730 |
| Median year built | 1943 |
| Built before 1980 | 87% |
| Built 2000 or later | 3% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $82,600 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trimble | 1 mi | 12% | 34% |
| Jacksonville | 2 mi | 4% | 60% |
| Murray City | 5 mi | 16% | 33% |
| Buchtel | 6 mi | 19% | 29% |
| Corning | 7 mi | 17% | 29% |
| Hemlock | 7 mi | 14% | 38% |
| Chauncey | 7 mi | 10% | 49% |
| Nelsonville | 8 mi | 11% | 22% |
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