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Stafford, Ohio
Inside Stafford's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 24% of mapped land, the 5th-highest of 10 cities in Monroe County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 17%.
That water-table share is above Monroe County's 18%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Monroe County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs
Basement waterproofing in Stafford
Basement waterproofing in Stafford: a shallow water table limits basements on 24% of Stafford's mapped land.
Soil under Stafford city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 17.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 24.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 18.9% |
| Mapped soil | 251 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Gilpin | 32% | under 1% |
| Zanesville | 18% | 97% |
| Wellston | 11% | under 1% |
| Westmoreland | 10% | 0% |
| Upshur | 7% | 0% |
| Guernsey | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.2% by land area here, and 19% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 17% of the mapped land.
On 24% of Stafford's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 90% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Monroe County
0% of Monroe 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 Stafford. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43786 | 68% | 0 | $0 |
| 43754 | 32% | 0 | $0 |
Homes
Stafford has fewer than 100 housing units in the ACS 2020-2024 estimates, too few for reliable shares.
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewisville | 5 mi | 33% | 37% |
| Graysville | 6 mi | 23% | 18% |
| Summerfield | 7 mi | 49% | 6% |
| Woodsfield | 9 mi | 28% | 22% |
| Miltonsburg | 10 mi | 0% | 38% |
| Macksburg | 11 mi | 10% | 22% |
| Dexter City | 11 mi | 46% | 43% |
| Antioch | 12 mi | 28% | 23% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026). Methods · Data status