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Urbana, Ohio
Inside Urbana's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 59% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 2%.
That water-table share is below Champaign County's 83%. FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43078 overlapping the city. Of its 5,320 homes, 75% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1960.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Champaign 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 Urbana
Basement waterproofing in Urbana: a shallow water table limits basements on 59% of Urbana's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Urbana logged 7 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 3,700 of Urbana's 5,320 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Urbana city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 59.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 94.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.4% |
| Mapped soil | 5,552 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 59% of Urbana's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 95% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Champaign County
0% of Champaign 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 Urbana. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43078 | 100% | 7 | $31,789 |
Homes in Urbana
| Housing units | 5,320 |
| Median year built | 1960 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 60% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $163,000 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual | 7 mi | 10% | 94% |
| Tremont City | 8 mi | 4% | 53% |
| West Liberty | 10 mi | 26% | 44% |
| Catawba | 10 mi | 9% | 10% |
| Mechanicsburg | 11 mi | 3% | 82% |
| St. Paris | 11 mi | 21% | 99% |
| Springfield | 13 mi | 6% | 31% |
| Woodstock | 13 mi | 41% | over 99% |
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