Jefferson County, Ohio
A shallow water table limits basements on 11% of Jefferson County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 21%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 27 flood losses here since 2016, 70% of them in buildings with basements. 80% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1958.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Jefferson County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 20.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 10.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 86.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.6% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.6% |
| Mapped soil | 262,342 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Morristown | 16% | n/a |
| Lowell | 14% | 4% |
| Gilpin | 14% | under 1% |
| Berks | 10% | under 1% |
| Westmoreland | 9% | 0% |
| Hazleton | 5% | 0% |
How we count · survey areas OH081 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.3% by land area here, and 5% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 21% of the mapped land.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 42.13 in, 0.75 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 41.38 in.
USDA rates 87% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 2 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 17.1% of its area, on the October 14, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
27 flood losses since 2016, $359,649 paid. The worst year was 2022, with 7. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 70% basements, 20% slabs, 5% crawl spaces, 5% elevated.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 41.38 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 42.13 in (+0.75) |
| 2025 | 32.86 in (-8.52) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 60.58 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 25.78 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at PIKE ISLAND(LOCK & DAM) (18 mi away) | 7.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 31,025 |
| Median year built | 1958 |
| Built before 1980 | 80% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $127,800 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Jefferson County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adena | 25% | 28% | 326 |
| Amsterdam | 3% | 18% | 182 |
| Bergholz | 1% | 41% | 231 |
| Bloomingdale | 33% | 14% | 73 |
| Dillonvale | 17% | 21% | 325 |
| Empire | 0% | 2% | 122 |
| Irondale | 1% | 11% | 118 |
| Mingo Junction | 9% | 4% | 1,607 |
| Mount Pleasant | 19% | 13% | 139 |
| New Alexandria | 30% | 4% | 119 |
| Rayland | 12% | 18% | 258 |
| Richmond | 27% | 8% | 305 |
| Steubenville | 13% | 5% | 8,335 |
| Stratton | 0% | 16% | 136 |
| Tiltonsville | under 1% | 6% | 705 |
| Toronto | under 1% | 12% | 2,769 |
| Wintersville | 25% | 4% | 1,974 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, WV | 13 mi | 1% | 11% |
| Brooke County, WV | 13 mi | 1% | 9% |
| Harrison County, OH | 19 mi | 27% | 29% |
| Carroll County, OH | 21 mi | 2% | 28% |
| Ohio County, WV | 21 mi | 1% | 7% |
| Columbiana County, OH | 26 mi | 2% | 53% |
| Belmont County, OH | 28 mi | 23% | 18% |
| Beaver County, PA | 29 mi | 6% | 35% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status