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St. Bernard, Ohio
Inside St. Bernard's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 2% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 2%.
That water-table share is below Hamilton County's 9%. USDA doesn't rate the 60% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 3 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45217 overlapping the city. Of its 2,087 homes, 84% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1955.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hamilton 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 St. Bernard
Basement waterproofing in St. Bernard: a shallow water table limits basements on 2% of St. Bernard's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping St. Bernard logged 3 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Hamilton County, 52% of the 251 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 1,200 of St. Bernard's 2,087 homes are detached houses.
Soil under St. Bernard city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.7% |
| Septic fields very limited | 6.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 59.9% |
| Mapped soil | 985 acres |
What the numbers mean here
With shrink-swell clay on 2% and a shallow water table on 2% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of St. Bernard; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought in Hamilton County
0% of Hamilton 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 St. Bernard. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45217 | over 99% | 3 | $41,460 |
Homes in St. Bernard
| Housing units | 2,087 |
| Median year built | 1955 |
| Built before 1980 | 84% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7% |
| Owner-occupied | 64% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $162,700 |
| Single-family detached | 55% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmwood Place | 1 mi | under 1% | 1% |
| Cincinnati | 2 mi | 8% | 4% |
| Norwood | 2 mi | 1% | 3% |
| Golf Manor | 3 mi | under 1% | 4% |
| Arlington Heights | 4 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Wyoming | 4 mi | 12% | 5% |
| Amberley | 4 mi | 6% | 15% |
| Lockland | 4 mi | 1% | 1% |
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