Lorain County, Ohio
A shallow water table limits basements on 91% of Lorain County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3%.
None of the county is in drought on the September 22, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 81 flood losses here since 2016, 65% of them in buildings with basements. 61% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1973.
Data as of September 22, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, September 22, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Lorain County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 90.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.2% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.7% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.5% |
| Mapped soil | 316,756 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Mahoning | 37% | 100% |
| Trumbull | 8% | n/a |
| Miner | 8% | n/a |
| Ellsworth | 7% | 99% |
| Fitchville | 4% | 96% |
| Tiro | 3% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas OH093 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
On 91% of Lorain County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 34.10 in, 4.92 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 39.02 in.
USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the September 22, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 6 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 97.1% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the October 7, 2025 map.
| Category, September 22, 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
81 flood losses since 2016, $2.3 million paid. The worst year was 2023, with 32. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 65% basements, 20% slabs, 8% crawl spaces, 7% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 6 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 20 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 32 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 to date | 4 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 39.02 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 34.10 in (-4.92) |
| 2025 | 33.46 in (-5.56) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 56.54 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1963: 17.81 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at OBERLIN (11 mi away) | 7.1 |
Homes
| Housing units | 136,548 |
| Median year built | 1973 |
| Built before 1980 | 61% |
| Built 2000 or later | 22% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $223,200 |
| Single-family detached | 76% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Lorain County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | 5% | 74% | 5,001 |
| Avon | 11% | 85% | 9,868 |
| Avon Lake | 6% | 94% | 11,289 |
| Elyria | 8% | 72% | 25,182 |
| Grafton | 2% | 97% | 899 |
| Kipton | 0% | 98% | 111 |
| LaGrange | 0% | over 99% | 1,138 |
| Lorain | 5% | 71% | 30,624 |
| North Ridgeville | 5% | 87% | 14,545 |
| Oberlin | under 1% | 99% | 2,728 |
| Rochester | 1% | 97% | 73 |
| Sheffield | 8% | 89% | 1,776 |
| Sheffield Lake | 1% | 77% | 4,699 |
| South Amherst | 7% | 82% | 799 |
| Vermilion | 4% | 85% | 5,326 |
| Wellington | 1% | 90% | 2,052 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County, OH | 21 mi | 6% | 69% |
| Medina County, OH | 27 mi | 1% | 91% |
| Huron County, OH | 30 mi | 2% | 90% |
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 31 mi | 1% | 51% |
| Summit County, OH | 40 mi | 2% | 63% |
| Ashland County, OH | 41 mi | 1% | 63% |
| Ottawa County, OH | 44 mi | 50% | 75% |
| Wayne County, OH | 45 mi | 2% | 66% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (September 22, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status