Kent, Ohio
Inside Kent's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 33% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
That water-table share is below Portage County's 78%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 12,537 homes, 65% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1972.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Portage 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 Kent
Basement waterproofing in Kent: a shallow water table limits basements on 33% of Kent's mapped land, and the 2 ZIP codes overlapping Kent logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 4,900 of Kent's 12,537 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Kent city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 33.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 74.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.3% |
| Urban land, not rated | 11.7% |
| Mapped soil | 6,117 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 33% of Kent's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 74% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Portage County
0% of Portage 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 Kent. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44240 | 95% | 1 | $8,959 |
| 44243 | 5% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Kent
| Housing units | 12,537 |
| Median year built | 1972 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 18% |
| Owner-occupied | 41% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $219,900 |
| Single-family detached | 39% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Munroe Falls | 4 mi | 0% | 49% |
| Sugar Bush Knolls | 4 mi | 0% | 73% |
| Tallmadge | 4 mi | 1% | 73% |
| Stow | 4 mi | 2% | 81% |
| Silver Lake | 5 mi | 0% | 43% |
| Ravenna | 6 mi | 6% | 74% |
| Streetsboro | 7 mi | under 1% | 76% |
| Mogadore | 7 mi | 0% | 29% |
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