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Murray City, Ohio
Inside Murray City's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 33% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 3 cities in Hocking County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16%, the highest of 3 cities in Hocking County.
That water-table share is close to Hocking County's 36%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43144 overlapping the city. Of its 178 homes, 82% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1946.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hocking 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 Murray City
Basement waterproofing in Murray City: a shallow water table limits basements on 33% of Murray City's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Murray City logged 2 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 200 of Murray City's 178 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Murray City city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 16.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 32.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.2% |
| Mapped soil | 204 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland | 39% | 0% |
| Guernsey | 16% | n/a |
| Chagrin | 14% | n/a |
| Otwell | 14% | n/a |
| Berks | 5% | under 1% |
| Bethesda | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.1% 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 16% of the mapped land.
On 33% of Murray City's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hocking County
0% of Hocking 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 Murray City. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43144 | 100% | 2 | $12,874 |
Homes in Murray City
| Housing units | 178 |
| Median year built | 1946 |
| Built before 1980 | 82% |
| Built 2000 or later | 1% |
| Owner-occupied | 90% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $81,700 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchtel | 3 mi | 19% | 29% |
| Nelsonville | 4 mi | 11% | 22% |
| Glouster | 5 mi | 10% | 45% |
| Trimble | 5 mi | 12% | 34% |
| Jacksonville | 5 mi | 4% | 60% |
| New Straitsville | 6 mi | 33% | 36% |
| Hemlock | 6 mi | 14% | 38% |
| Shawnee | 7 mi | 23% | 23% |
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