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Rawson, Ohio
Inside Rawson's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 11 cities in Hancock County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 35%, the 2nd-highest of 11 cities in Hancock County.
That water-table share is close to Hancock County's 93%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45881 overlapping the city. Of its 228 homes, 63% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1940.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hancock 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 Rawson
Basement waterproofing in Rawson: a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of Rawson's mapped land, more than in 90% of Ohio cities.
In Hancock County, 64% of the 39 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 200 of Rawson's 228 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Rawson city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 35.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 97.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 97.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.0% |
| Mapped soil | 244 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.9% by land area here, and 2% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 35% of the mapped land.
On 98% of Rawson's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 98% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hancock County
0% of Hancock 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 Rawson. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45881 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Rawson
| Housing units | 228 |
| Median year built | 1940 |
| Built before 1980 | 63% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $133,300 |
| Single-family detached | 95% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Cory | 2 mi | 34% | over 99% |
| Benton Ridge | 3 mi | 21% | 70% |
| Jenera | 5 mi | 8% | 95% |
| Bluffton | 7 mi | 20% | 89% |
| Arlington | 8 mi | 39% | 99% |
| Gilboa | 8 mi | 51% | 94% |
| Pandora | 9 mi | 13% | 91% |
| Findlay | 10 mi | 15% | 66% |
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