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Springfield, Ohio
Inside Springfield's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 31% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 6%.
That water-table share is below Clark County's 59%. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses since 2016 in the 5 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 27,758 homes, 84% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1953.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources · in Clark County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 5 overlapping ZIPs
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Springfield
Basement waterproofing in Springfield: a shallow water table limits basements on 31% of Springfield's mapped land, and the 5 ZIP codes overlapping Springfield logged 7 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Clark County, 13% of the 23 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 17,800 of Springfield's 27,758 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Springfield city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 5.9% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 31.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 64.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 18.1% |
| Mapped soil | 17,163 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 31% of Springfield's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 65% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Springfield covers 26.6 square miles of land and counts 27,758 housing units, about 1,042 per square mile.
52% of Springfield's occupied homes are owner-occupied, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $116,800; 7% of all homes in the city date from 2000 or later.
The largest soil series under Springfield is Miamian, on 24% of the mapped land, followed by Eldean at 16%.
Clay swell, measured as linear extensibility, averages 4.5% across Springfield's 17,163 mapped acres.
Drought in Clark County
0% of Clark County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Springfield. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45503 | 30% | 1 | $829 |
| 45505 | 25% | 5 | $36,077 |
| 45504 | 21% | 1 | $1,749 |
| 45506 | 15% | 0 | $0 |
| 45501 | 0% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Springfield
| Housing units | 27,758 |
| Median year built | 1953 |
| Built before 1980 | 84% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 52% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $116,800 |
| Single-family detached | 64% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tremont City | 6 mi | 4% | 53% |
| Donnelsville | 8 mi | 3% | 74% |
| Enon | 9 mi | 8% | 39% |
| North Hampton | 9 mi | 11% | 77% |
| Clifton | 9 mi | 16% | 57% |
| South Vienna | 10 mi | 30% | 69% |
| Catawba | 10 mi | 9% | 10% |
| Yellow Springs | 10 mi | 7% | 66% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status