Philo, Ohio
Inside Philo's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 12% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6%, the 4th-highest of 9 cities in Muskingum County.
That water-table share is below Muskingum County's 39%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43771 overlapping the city. Of its 336 homes, 86% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1941.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Muskingum 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 Philo
Basement waterproofing in Philo: a shallow water table limits basements on 12% of Philo's mapped land.
In Muskingum County, 41% of the 34 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 300 of Philo's 336 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Philo city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 6.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 51.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 6.2% |
| Mapped soil | 325 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Watertown | 23% | n/a |
| Westmoreland | 8% | 0% |
| Alford | 7% | n/a |
| Tioga | 6% | n/a |
| Guernsey | 6% | n/a |
| Chili | 5% | 0% |
What the numbers mean here
USDA rates 52% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 6% and a shallow water table on 12% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Philo; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Muskingum County
0% of Muskingum 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 Philo. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43771 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Philo
| Housing units | 336 |
| Median year built | 1941 |
| Built before 1980 | 86% |
| Built 2000 or later | 3% |
| Owner-occupied | 62% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $109,000 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Zanesville | 6 mi | 7% | 26% |
| Zanesville | 9 mi | 3% | 18% |
| Roseville | 10 mi | 3% | 45% |
| Norwich | 11 mi | 36% | 56% |
| Crooksville | 12 mi | 13% | 51% |
| Fultonham | 12 mi | 0% | 51% |
| New Concord | 13 mi | 12% | 43% |
| Cumberland | 13 mi | 35% | 72% |
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