Hamilton County, Ohio
A shallow water table limits basements on 9% of Hamilton County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 7%.
None of the county is in drought on the November 3, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 370 flood losses here since 2016, 52% of them in buildings with basements. 73% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1963.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, November 3, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Hamilton County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 7.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 8.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 41.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 34.6% |
| Mapped soil | 264,173 acres |
How we count · survey areas OH061 (2025-08-28)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 50.97 in, 6.57 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 44.40 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 7% and a shallow water table on 9% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Hamilton County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. No part of the county was in drought in the last 52 weeks.
| Category, November 3, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 20.3% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
370 flood losses since 2016, $13.2 million paid. The worst year was 2018, with 117. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 52% basements, 20% slabs, 6% crawl spaces, 22% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 23.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 36 |
| 2018 | 117 |
| 2019 | 17 |
| 2020 | 21 |
| 2021 | 25 |
| 2022 | 10 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 9 |
| 2025 | 88 |
| 2026 to date | 37 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.40 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 50.97 in (+6.57) |
| 2025 | 49.36 in (+4.96) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 64.71 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 23.22 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHEVIOT (5 mi away) | 12 |
Homes
| Housing units | 381,356 |
| Median year built | 1963 |
| Built before 1980 | 73% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 59% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $241,900 |
| Single-family detached | 58% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Hamilton County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addyston | 14% | 1% | 374 |
| Amberley | 6% | 15% | 1,413 |
| Arlington Heights | 1% | 1% | 448 |
| Blue Ash | 2% | 8% | 6,142 |
| Cheviot | 3% | 7% | 3,893 |
| Cincinnati | 8% | 4% | 160,409 |
| Cleves | 6% | 2% | 1,144 |
| Deer Park | under 1% | 4% | 2,829 |
| Elmwood Place | under 1% | 1% | 946 |
| Evendale | 4% | 4% | 1,006 |
| Fairfax | 5% | 1% | 752 |
| Forest Park | 3% | 10% | 7,641 |
| Glendale | under 1% | 4% | 1,023 |
| Golf Manor | under 1% | 4% | 1,846 |
| Greenhills | 11% | 19% | 1,490 |
| Harrison | 4% | 9% | 5,317 |
| Lincoln Heights | 0% | 1% | 1,570 |
| Lockland | 1% | 1% | 1,455 |
| Loveland | 9% | 23% | 5,511 |
| Madeira | 8% | 7% | 3,620 |
| Mariemont | 7% | 4% | 1,477 |
| Montgomery | 5% | 8% | 4,204 |
| Mount Healthy | 1% | 7% | 2,987 |
| Newtown | 3% | 1% | 1,192 |
| North Bend | 7% | 2% | 500 |
| North College Hill | under 1% | 9% | 4,037 |
| Norwood | 1% | 3% | 10,084 |
| Reading | 7% | 4% | 5,312 |
| Sharonville | 2% | 9% | 7,386 |
| Silverton | 5% | 4% | 2,911 |
| Springdale | under 1% | 1% | 4,891 |
| St. Bernard | 2% | 2% | 2,087 |
| Terrace Park | 1% | 1% | 762 |
| The Village of Indian Hill | 13% | 17% | 2,458 |
| Woodlawn | under 1% | 5% | 1,762 |
| Wyoming | 12% | 5% | 3,095 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County, OH | 17 mi | 13% | 30% |
| Kenton County, KY | 18 mi | 14% | 26% |
| Campbell County, KY | 19 mi | 14% | 16% |
| Boone County, KY | 19 mi | 7% | 29% |
| Clermont County, OH | 23 mi | 8% | 67% |
| Dearborn County, IN | 23 mi | 38% | 36% |
| Warren County, OH | 25 mi | 10% | 51% |
| Ohio County, IN | 29 mi | 40% | 28% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 28, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status