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Salem, Ohio
Inside Salem's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 53% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1%, the 4th-highest of 13 cities in Columbiana County.
That water-table share is close to Columbiana County's 53%. USDA doesn't rate the 36% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44460 overlapping the city. Of its 5,756 homes, 80% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1954.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Columbiana 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 Salem
Basement waterproofing in Salem: a shallow water table limits basements on 53% of Salem's mapped land.
About 4,000 of Salem's 5,756 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Salem city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 1.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 53.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 58.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 2.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 35.8% |
| Mapped soil | 4,213 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Canfield | 36% | over 99% |
| Ravenna | 10% | n/a |
| Zepernick | 1% | n/a |
| Lorain | 1% | n/a |
| Frenchtown | 1% | n/a |
| Valley | 1% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 53% of Salem's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 59% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Columbiana County
0% of Columbiana 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 Salem. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44460 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Salem
| Housing units | 5,756 |
| Median year built | 1954 |
| Built before 1980 | 80% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 57% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $119,400 |
| Single-family detached | 69% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washingtonville | 4 mi | 0% | 61% |
| Leetonia | 5 mi | 0% | 62% |
| Beloit | 8 mi | 3% | 84% |
| Sebring | 9 mi | 14% | 71% |
| Columbiana | 10 mi | 2% | 66% |
| Canfield | 10 mi | 19% | 85% |
| Lisbon | 10 mi | under 1% | 45% |
| Hanoverton | 11 mi | under 1% | 69% |
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