Monroe County, Ohio
A shallow water table limits basements on 18% of Monroe County's mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 56% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1976.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Monroe County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 27.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 18.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 26.8% |
| Mapped soil | 292,730 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Gilpin | 38% | under 1% |
| Upshur | 13% | 0% |
| Westmoreland | 9% | 0% |
| Guernsey | 8% | n/a |
| Zanesville | 4% | 97% |
| Wellston | 4% | under 1% |
How we count · survey areas OH111 (2025-09-02)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.6% by land area here, and 27% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
On 18% of Monroe 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: 47.64 in, 2.75 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 44.89 in.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 4 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 19.3% of its area, on the October 14, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 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
1 flood losses since 2016, $7,635 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.89 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 47.64 in (+2.75) |
| 2025 | 41.67 in (-3.22) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2018: 68.16 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1930: 25.27 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at HANNIBAL LOCKS & DAM (13 mi away) | 9.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 7,132 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 56% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23% |
| Owner-occupied | 80% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $142,700 |
| Single-family detached | 78% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Monroe County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antioch | 28% | 23% | 31 |
| Beallsville | 25% | 40% | 220 |
| Clarington | 21% | 16% | 169 |
| Graysville | 23% | 18% | 37 |
| Jerusalem | 15% | 10% | 57 |
| Lewisville | 33% | 37% | 78 |
| Miltonsburg | 0% | 38% | 33 |
| Stafford | 17% | 24% | 37 |
| Wilson | 14% | 26% | 54 |
| Woodsfield | 28% | 22% | 1,316 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noble County, OH | 19 mi | 31% | 18% |
| Belmont County, OH | 21 mi | 23% | 18% |
| Tyler County, WV | 21 mi | 34% | 9% |
| Marshall County, WV | 24 mi | 5% | 48% |
| Pleasants County, WV | 25 mi | 32% | 5% |
| Wetzel County, WV | 26 mi | 27% | 7% |
| Washington County, OH | 29 mi | 40% | 19% |
| Guernsey County, OH | 31 mi | 23% | 34% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 2, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status