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Ohio City, Ohio
Inside Ohio City's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on over 99% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 9 cities in Van Wert County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 65%, the 5th-highest of 9 cities in Van Wert County.
That water-table share is close to Van Wert County's 99%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45874 overlapping the city. Of its 301 homes, 74% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1953.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Van Wert 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 Ohio City
Basement waterproofing in Ohio City: a shallow water table limits basements on over 99% of Ohio City's mapped land, more than in 97% of Ohio cities.
About 200 of Ohio City's 301 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Ohio City city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 65.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 100.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 100.0% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.9% |
| Mapped soil | 340 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.3% by land area here, and 7% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 65% of the mapped land.
On over 99% of Ohio 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 over 99% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Van Wert County
0% of Van Wert 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 Ohio City. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45874 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Ohio City
| Housing units | 301 |
| Median year built | 1953 |
| Built before 1980 | 74% |
| Built 2000 or later | 11% |
| Owner-occupied | 89% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $98,900 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
Nearby cities
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