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Martins Ferry, Ohio
Inside Martins Ferry's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 17% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 28%, the 4th-highest of 14 cities in Belmont County.
That water-table share is close to Belmont County's 18%. FEMA's flood data list 4 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43935 overlapping the city. Of its 3,442 homes, 92% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1947.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Belmont 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
Basement waterproofing in Martins Ferry
Basement waterproofing in Martins Ferry: a shallow water table limits basements on 17% of Martins Ferry's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Martins Ferry logged 4 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Belmont County, 52% of the 27 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 2,300 of Martins Ferry's 3,442 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Martins Ferry city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 27.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 16.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 55.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 13.9% |
| Urban land, not rated | 20.7% |
| Mapped soil | 1,491 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Lowell | 16% | 4% |
| Brookside | 12% | n/a |
| Westmoreland | 8% | 0% |
| Morristown | 5% | n/a |
| Chili | 3% | 0% |
| Dekalb | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.4% by land area here, and 14% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 28% of the mapped land.
On 17% of Martins Ferry's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 55% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Belmont County
0% of Belmont 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 Martins Ferry. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43935 | 99% | 4 | $422,175 |
Homes in Martins Ferry
| Housing units | 3,442 |
| Median year built | 1947 |
| Built before 1980 | 92% |
| Built 2000 or later | under 1% |
| Owner-occupied | 54% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $96,200 |
| Single-family detached | 67% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookside | 3 mi | 26% | 24% |
| Bridgeport | 3 mi | 25% | 18% |
| Yorkville | 4 mi | 1% | 2% |
| Tiltonsville | 5 mi | under 1% | 6% |
| Rayland | 6 mi | 12% | 18% |
| Bellaire | 6 mi | 15% | 16% |
| Mount Pleasant | 6 mi | 19% | 13% |
| Dillonvale | 7 mi | 17% | 21% |
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