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Worthington, Ohio
Inside Worthington's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 49% of mapped land. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on under 1%.
That water-table share is below Franklin County's 71%. USDA doesn't rate the 25% of mapped land classed as urban land, so these shares are floors. FEMA's flood data list 6 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 43085 overlapping the city. Of its 6,406 homes, 83% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1963.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Franklin 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 Worthington
Basement waterproofing in Worthington: a shallow water table limits basements on 49% of Worthington's mapped land, and the ZIP code overlapping Worthington logged 6 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
In Franklin County, 81% of the 176 flood-loss buildings with a recorded foundation type had basements.
About 5,000 of Worthington's 6,406 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Worthington city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 49.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 60.3% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.2% |
| Urban land, not rated | 25.5% |
| Mapped soil | 3,549 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Bennington | 16% | 99% |
| Cardington | 16% | 99% |
| Pewamo | 6% | 99% |
| Ross | 5% | n/a |
| Crosby | 4% | 99% |
| Celina | 3% | 94% |
What the numbers mean here
On 49% of Worthington's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 60% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Franklin County
0% of Franklin 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 Worthington. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43085 | 91% | 6 | $91,488 |
Homes in Worthington
| Housing units | 6,406 |
| Median year built | 1963 |
| Built before 1980 | 83% |
| Built 2000 or later | 6% |
| Owner-occupied | 83% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $440,500 |
| Single-family detached | 79% |
Nearby cities
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverlea | 1 mi | 0% | 35% |
| Minerva Park | 5 mi | 0% | 60% |
| Upper Arlington | 5 mi | 2% | 47% |
| Powell | 6 mi | 12% | 71% |
| Westerville | 6 mi | 5% | 63% |
| Dublin | 7 mi | 26% | 79% |
| Shawnee Hills | 8 mi | 6% | 94% |
| Columbus | 8 mi | 8% | 63% |
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