Lima, Ohio
Inside Lima's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 60% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 12%.
That water-table share is below Allen County's 93%. USDA doesn't rate the 32% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 28 flood losses since 2016 in the 3 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 15,950 homes, 83% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1955.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources · in Allen County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 3 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Lima city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 11.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 60.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 60.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.7% |
| Urban land, not rated | 32.4% |
| Mapped soil | 8,835 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Glynwood | 25% | over 99% |
| Blount | 19% | over 99% |
| Pewamo | 11% | 99% |
| Shoals | 1% | n/a |
| Rensselaer | 1% | n/a |
| Lybrand | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 60% of Lima's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 61% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Allen County
0% of Allen 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 Lima. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45804 | 37% | 1 | $565 |
| 45801 | 36% | 24 | $77,600 |
| 45805 | 26% | 3 | $191,845 |
Homes in Lima
| Housing units | 15,950 |
| Median year built | 1955 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 46% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $107,200 |
| Single-family detached | 71% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elida | 6 mi | 17% | 74% |
| Cairo | 6 mi | 21% | over 99% |
| Cridersville | 6 mi | 23% | 90% |
| Lafayette | 9 mi | 14% | 99% |
| Beaverdam | 10 mi | 16% | 99% |
| Harrod | 10 mi | 25% | 98% |
| Buckland | 11 mi | 16% | 79% |
| Waynesfield | 12 mi | 21% | over 99% |
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