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Mount Vernon, Ohio
Inside Mount Vernon's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 53% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 7 cities in Knox County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
That water-table share is below Knox County's 65%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43050 overlapping the city. Of its 7,806 homes, 78% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1955.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Knox 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 Vernon
Basement waterproofing in Mount Vernon: a shallow water table limits basements on 53% of Mount Vernon's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Mount Vernon logged 2 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 5,100 of Mount Vernon's 7,806 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Mount Vernon city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | under 0.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 53.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | under 0.1% |
| Mapped soil | 6,443 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 53% of Mount Vernon's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Knox County
0% of Knox 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 Vernon. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43050 | 100% | 2 | $4,340 |
Homes in Mount Vernon
| Housing units | 7,806 |
| Median year built | 1955 |
| Built before 1980 | 78% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $174,000 |
| Single-family detached | 66% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gambier | 4 mi | 0% | 29% |
| Fredericktown | 8 mi | 0% | 44% |
| Martinsburg | 10 mi | 0% | 24% |
| Utica | 10 mi | 0% | 80% |
| Sparta | 12 mi | 8% | 45% |
| Danville | 12 mi | under 1% | 84% |
| Chesterville | 12 mi | 0% | 14% |
| Centerburg | 13 mi | under 1% | 97% |
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