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Lancaster, Ohio
Inside Lancaster's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 36% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 2%.
That water-table share is below Fairfield County's 60%. FEMA's flood data list 40 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43130 overlapping the city. Of its 18,317 homes, 71% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1963.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Fairfield 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 Lancaster city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 35.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 65.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 18.1% |
| Mapped soil | 12,489 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Amanda | 19% | 40% |
| Centerburg | 7% | over 99% |
| Aetna | 7% | n/a |
| Ockley | 7% | 0% |
| Bennington | 5% | 99% |
| Loudonville | 5% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 36% of Lancaster's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 66% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Fairfield County
0% of Fairfield County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Lancaster. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43130 | 100% | 40 | $431,072 |
Homes in Lancaster
| Housing units | 18,317 |
| Median year built | 1963 |
| Built before 1980 | 71% |
| Built 2000 or later | 15% |
| Owner-occupied | 59% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $193,900 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Grove | 7 mi | under 1% | 6% |
| Pleasantville | 7 mi | 0% | 96% |
| Carroll | 8 mi | 2% | 48% |
| Baltimore | 8 mi | 18% | 84% |
| Thurston | 9 mi | 15% | 87% |
| West Rushville | 9 mi | 0% | 97% |
| Amanda | 9 mi | 6% | 40% |
| Bremen | 9 mi | 3% | 41% |
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