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Van Buren, Ohio
Inside Van Buren's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 80% of mapped land, higher than 65% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 3%.
That water-table share is below Hancock County's 93%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45889 overlapping the city. Of its 201 homes, 78% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1939 or earlier.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Hancock 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 Van Buren
Basement waterproofing in Van Buren: a shallow water table limits basements on 80% of Van Buren's mapped land, more than in 65% of Ohio cities.
In Hancock County, 64% of the 39 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 200 of Van Buren's 201 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Van Buren city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 80.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 87.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 177 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Mermill | 18% | n/a |
| Aurand | 14% | n/a |
| Shawtown | 11% | n/a |
| Haskins | 8% | n/a |
| Shoals | 8% | n/a |
| Fox | 8% | 1% |
What the numbers mean here
On 80% of Van Buren's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 88% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Hancock County
0% of Hancock 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 Van Buren. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45889 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Van Buren
| Housing units | 201 |
| Median year built | 1939 or earlier |
| Built before 1980 | 78% |
| Built 2000 or later | 16% |
| Owner-occupied | 98% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $174,400 |
| Single-family detached | 100% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Baltimore | 3 mi | 37% | 87% |
| Bairdstown | 3 mi | 67% | 97% |
| Bloomdale | 5 mi | 59% | 97% |
| Findlay | 6 mi | 15% | 66% |
| Cygnet | 7 mi | 73% | 92% |
| Arcadia | 7 mi | 31% | over 99% |
| McComb | 8 mi | 17% | 82% |
| Hoytville | 8 mi | 83% | 94% |
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