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Grove City, Ohio
Inside Grove City's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 83% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 24 cities in Franklin County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17%, the 3rd-highest of 24 cities in Franklin County.
That water-table share is above Franklin County's 71%. FEMA's flood data list 13 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43123 overlapping the city. Of its 18,486 homes, 33% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1995.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Franklin 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 Grove City city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 82.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 6.0% |
| Mapped soil | 12,259 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.3% by land area here, and 2% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 17% of the mapped land.
On 83% of Grove City's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Franklin County
0% of Franklin 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 Grove City. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43123 | 100% | 13 | $81,582 |
Homes in Grove City
| Housing units | 18,486 |
| Median year built | 1995 |
| Built before 1980 | 33% |
| Built 2000 or later | 41% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $310,400 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urbancrest | 3 mi | 10% | 63% |
| Lockbourne | 6 mi | under 1% | 35% |
| Commercial Point | 6 mi | 12% | 85% |
| Obetz | 6 mi | 10% | 67% |
| Harrisburg | 7 mi | 0% | 11% |
| Valleyview | 7 mi | 0% | 24% |
| Grandview Heights | 8 mi | 1% | 22% |
| Marble Cliff | 8 mi | 0% | 20% |
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