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Nelsonville, Ohio
Inside Nelsonville's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 22% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 11%.
That water-table share is below Athens County's 27%. FEMA's flood data list 5 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45764 overlapping the city. Of its 1,946 homes, 70% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1952.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Athens 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 Nelsonville
Basement waterproofing in Nelsonville: a shallow water table limits basements on 22% of Nelsonville's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Nelsonville logged 5 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Athens County, 8% of the 26 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 1,100 of Nelsonville's 1,946 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Nelsonville city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 11.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 21.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 91.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 10.9% |
| Mapped soil | 3,060 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Haymond | 23% | n/a |
| Westmoreland | 15% | 0% |
| Dekalb | 13% | n/a |
| Guernsey | 9% | n/a |
| Richland | 5% | n/a |
| Chagrin | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 22% of Nelsonville's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Athens County
0% of Athens 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 Nelsonville. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45764 | 97% | 5 | $18,565 |
Homes in Nelsonville
| Housing units | 1,946 |
| Median year built | 1952 |
| Built before 1980 | 70% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 40% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $99,200 |
| Single-family detached | 57% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchtel | 2 mi | 19% | 29% |
| Murray City | 4 mi | 16% | 33% |
| Chauncey | 7 mi | 10% | 49% |
| Jacksonville | 8 mi | 4% | 60% |
| Trimble | 8 mi | 12% | 34% |
| Glouster | 8 mi | 10% | 45% |
| New Straitsville | 8 mi | 33% | 36% |
| Hemlock | 10 mi | 14% | 38% |
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