Waldo, Ohio
Inside Waldo's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of mapped land, the highest of 8 cities in Marion County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22%, the 4th-highest of 8 cities in Marion County.
That water-table share is above Marion County's 92%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43356 overlapping the city. Of its 171 homes, 83% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1939 or earlier.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Marion 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 Waldo
Basement waterproofing in Waldo: a shallow water table limits basements on 98% of Waldo's mapped land, more than in 91% of Ohio cities.
About 100 of Waldo's 171 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Waldo city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 21.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 98.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 99.7% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 1.0% |
| Mapped soil | 413 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 1% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.
On 98% of Waldo's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates over 99% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Marion County
0% of Marion 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 Waldo. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43356 | 92% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in Waldo
| Housing units | 171 |
| Median year built | 1939 or earlier |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 5% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $150,000 |
| Single-family detached | 84% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prospect | 5 mi | 16% | 72% |
| Ashley | 8 mi | 28% | 98% |
| Green Camp | 8 mi | 39% | 84% |
| Marion | 10 mi | 21% | 60% |
| Cardington | 10 mi | 12% | 96% |
| Richwood | 11 mi | 7% | 86% |
| Magnetic Springs | 12 mi | 25% | 97% |
| Delaware | 12 mi | 23% | 72% |
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