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Mount Sterling, Ohio
Inside Mount Sterling's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 91% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 6 cities in Madison County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 31%, the 5th-highest of 6 cities in Madison County.
That water-table share is close to Madison County's 94%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43143 overlapping the city. Of its 756 homes, 62% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1966.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Madison 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 Mount Sterling
Basement waterproofing in Mount Sterling: a shallow water table limits basements on 91% of Mount Sterling's mapped land, more than in 79% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Mount Sterling logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 600 of Mount Sterling's 756 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Mount Sterling city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 31.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 90.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 99.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 15.6% |
| Mapped soil | 1,082 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 16% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 31% of the mapped land.
On 91% of Mount Sterling's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates over 99% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Madison County
0% of Madison 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 Mount Sterling. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43143 | 100% | 1 | $2,926 |
Homes in Mount Sterling
| Housing units | 756 |
| Median year built | 1966 |
| Built before 1980 | 62% |
| Built 2000 or later | 21% |
| Owner-occupied | 72% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $197,200 |
| Single-family detached | 75% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darbyville | 9 mi | 1% | 41% |
| Harrisburg | 9 mi | 0% | 11% |
| Bloomingburg | 10 mi | 11% | 89% |
| Midway | 11 mi | 10% | 97% |
| New Holland | 11 mi | 23% | 76% |
| Williamsport | 12 mi | 22% | 84% |
| Commercial Point | 13 mi | 12% | 85% |
| Washington Court House | 15 mi | 30% | 96% |
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