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Vermilion, Ohio
Inside Vermilion's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 85% of mapped land, higher than 72% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 4%.
That water-table share is below Lorain County's 91%. FEMA's flood data list 18 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44089 overlapping the city. Of its 5,326 homes, 71% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1967.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lorain 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 Vermilion
Basement waterproofing in Vermilion: a shallow water table limits basements on 85% of Vermilion's mapped land, more than in 72% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Vermilion logged 18 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Lorain County, 65% of the 60 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 4,600 of Vermilion's 5,326 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Vermilion city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 3.6% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 84.9% |
| Septic fields very limited | 88.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.9% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 3.6% |
| Mapped soil | 6,887 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Allis | 22% | n/a |
| Miner | 10% | n/a |
| Del Rey | 8% | n/a |
| Hornell | 6% | n/a |
| Haskins | 5% | n/a |
| Jimtown | 4% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 85% of Vermilion's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Lorain County
0% of Lorain 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 Vermilion. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44089 | 100% | 18 | $201,670 |
Homes in Vermilion
| Housing units | 5,326 |
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 71% |
| Built 2000 or later | 9% |
| Owner-occupied | 81% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $183,600 |
| Single-family detached | 87% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | 4 mi | 5% | 74% |
| South Amherst | 6 mi | 7% | 82% |
| Lorain | 7 mi | 5% | 71% |
| Kipton | 10 mi | 0% | 98% |
| Oberlin | 10 mi | under 1% | 99% |
| Berlin Heights | 11 mi | under 1% | 49% |
| Elyria | 11 mi | 8% | 72% |
| Wakeman | 12 mi | under 1% | 85% |
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