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West Salem, Ohio
Inside West Salem's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 92% of mapped land, the 3rd-highest of 15 cities in Wayne County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
That water-table share is above Wayne County's 66%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44287 overlapping the city. Of its 523 homes, 71% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1970.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Wayne 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 West Salem
Basement waterproofing in West Salem: a shallow water table limits basements on 92% of West Salem's mapped land, more than in 81% of Ohio cities.
About 400 of West Salem's 523 homes are detached houses.
Soil under West Salem city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 92.2% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 684 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bennington | 59% | 99% |
| Centerburg | 7% | over 99% |
| Cardington | 5% | 99% |
| Condit | 5% | n/a |
| Orrville | 3% | n/a |
| Bogart | 3% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
On 92% of West Salem's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Wayne County
0% of Wayne 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 West Salem. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44287 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in West Salem
| Housing units | 523 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 71% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 82% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $125,900 |
| Single-family detached | 74% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Congress | 4 mi | 0% | 99% |
| Polk | 6 mi | under 1% | 97% |
| Burbank | 6 mi | under 1% | 62% |
| Lodi | 7 mi | 1% | 85% |
| Spencer | 9 mi | 3% | 87% |
| Westfield Center | 10 mi | 0% | 94% |
| Creston | 11 mi | 11% | 82% |
| Jeromesville | 12 mi | 0% | 39% |
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