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Willoughby, Ohio
Inside Willoughby's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 67% of mapped land, higher than 51% 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 6 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 44094 overlapping the city. Of its 12,393 homes, 58% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1976.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Lake 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 Willoughby
Basement waterproofing in Willoughby: a shallow water table limits basements on 67% of Willoughby's mapped land, more than in 51% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Willoughby logged 6 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Lake County, 35% of the 23 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 6,300 of Willoughby's 12,393 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Willoughby city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 67.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.9% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.2% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Urban land, not rated | 1.1% |
| Mapped soil | 6,651 acres |
What the numbers mean here
On 67% of Willoughby's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 85% 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.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Willoughby. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44094 | 100% | 6 | $31,659 |
Homes in Willoughby
| Housing units | 12,393 |
| Median year built | 1976 |
| Built before 1980 | 58% |
| Built 2000 or later | 17% |
| Owner-occupied | 63% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $216,900 |
| Single-family detached | 51% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastlake | 1 mi | 0% | 77% |
| Timberlake | 2 mi | 0% | 94% |
| Lakeline | 2 mi | 0% | 95% |
| Waite Hill | 3 mi | 0% | 42% |
| Willowick | 3 mi | 0% | 91% |
| Wickliffe | 4 mi | 0% | 77% |
| Willoughby Hills | 4 mi | 0% | 68% |
| Kirtland Hills | 5 mi | 0% | 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