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Rockford, Ohio
Inside Rockford's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of mapped land, the 4th-highest of 9 cities in Mercer County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27%, the 3rd-highest of 9 cities in Mercer County.
That water-table share is close to Mercer County's 95%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45882 overlapping the city. Of its 463 homes, 80% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1962.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Mercer 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 Rockford
Basement waterproofing in Rockford: a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of Rockford's mapped land, more than in 92% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Rockford logged 2 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 400 of Rockford's 463 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Rockford city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 27.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 98.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 98.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 4.6% |
| Mapped soil | 562 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.8% by land area here, and 5% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
On 98% of Rockford'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 Mercer County
0% of Mercer 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 Rockford. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45882 | 100% | 2 | $0 |
Homes in Rockford
| Housing units | 463 |
| Median year built | 1962 |
| Built before 1980 | 80% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $135,400 |
| 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