HomeOhioVan Wert CountyVan Wert
Van Wert, Ohio
Inside Van Wert's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 96% of mapped land, higher than 86% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 70%, the 3rd-highest of 9 cities in Van Wert County.
That water-table share is close to Van Wert County's 99%. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45891 overlapping the city. Of its 4,949 homes, 75% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1956.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Van Wert 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 Wert
Basement waterproofing in Van Wert: a shallow water table limits basements on 96% of Van Wert's mapped land, more than in 86% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Van Wert logged 2 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 4,000 of Van Wert's 4,949 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Van Wert city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 69.5% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 95.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 96.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 7.7% |
| Mapped soil | 5,977 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and 8% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 70% of the mapped land.
On 96% of Van Wert's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 97% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Van Wert County
0% of Van Wert 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 Wert. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45891 | 100% | 2 | $106,464 |
Homes in Van Wert
| Housing units | 4,949 |
| Median year built | 1956 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 8% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $123,900 |
| Single-family detached | 81% |
Nearby cities
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