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Willoughby Hills, Ohio

Inside Willoughby Hills' city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 68% of mapped land, higher than 53% of Ohio cities. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 0%.

That water-table share is below Lake County's 73%. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses since 2016 in the 2 ZIP codes overlapping the city. Of its 5,409 homes, 69% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1973.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lake County

0%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

68%

high water table: limits basements

8

flood losses since 2016 in 2 overlapping ZIPs

69%

of homes built before 1980

Basement waterproofing in Willoughby Hills

Basement waterproofing in Willoughby Hills: a shallow water table limits basements on 68% of Willoughby Hills' mapped land, more than in 53% of Ohio cities, and the 2 ZIP codes overlapping Willoughby Hills logged 8 FEMA flood losses since 2016.

In Lake County, 35% of the 23 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.

About 2,200 of Willoughby Hills' 5,409 homes are detached houses.

Soil under Willoughby Hills city limits

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)0.0%
High water table (limits basements)67.8%
Septic fields very limited86.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)3.4%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)0.0%
Mapped soil6,926 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: high water table
Mahoning24%100%
Darien17%n/a
Ellsworth13%99%
Gosport6%n/a
Euclid5%n/a
Oshtemo3%0%
Lake CountyWilloughby Hills
Willoughby Hills city limits inside Lake County, shaded by the city's high water table share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count

What the numbers mean here

On 68% of Willoughby Hills' mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.

USDA rates 86% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.

Drought in Lake County

0% of Lake County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026

Flood losses by ZIP code

FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Willoughby Hills. ZIP areas reach past city limits.

ZIPShare of city landFlood lossesPaid
4409476%6$31,659
4409225%2$24,495

Homes in Willoughby Hills

Housing units5,409
Median year built1973
Built before 198069%
Built 2000 or later9%
Owner-occupied42%
Median value, owner-occupied$328,600
Single-family detached41%

Nearby cities

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Wickliffe 2 mi 0% 77%
Mayfield 3 mi 0% 57%
Waite Hill 3 mi 0% 42%
Highland Heights 3 mi 0% 66%
Gates Mills 4 mi 2% 49%
Willowick 4 mi 0% 91%
Richmond Heights 4 mi 0% 57%
Willoughby 4 mi 0% 67%

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