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West Unity, Ohio
Inside West Unity's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 87% of mapped land, higher than 75% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 27%, the 2nd-highest of 9 cities in Williams County.
That water-table share is below Williams County's 95%. FEMA's flood data list no flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43570 overlapping the city. Of its 746 homes, 65% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1970.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Williams 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 Unity
Basement waterproofing in West Unity: a shallow water table limits basements on 87% of West Unity's mapped land, more than in 75% of Ohio cities.
About 500 of West Unity's 746 homes are detached houses.
Soil under West Unity city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 27.1% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 86.8% |
| Septic fields very limited | 90.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 5.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 26.4% |
| Mapped soil | 984 acres |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.1% by land area here, and 26% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 27% of the mapped land.
On 87% of West Unity's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 91% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Williams County
0% of Williams 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 Unity. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43570 | 100% | 0 | $0 |
Homes in West Unity
| Housing units | 746 |
| Median year built | 1970 |
| Built before 1980 | 65% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 65% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $110,500 |
| Single-family detached | 62% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stryker | 6 mi | 14% | 98% |
| Holiday City | 6 mi | 21% | 93% |
| Fayette | 8 mi | 2% | 84% |
| Archbold | 8 mi | 33% | 88% |
| Montpelier | 8 mi | 13% | 94% |
| Pioneer | 9 mi | 21% | 89% |
| Bryan | 10 mi | 57% | 90% |
| Ney | 15 mi | 16% | 62% |
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