Wyandot County, Ohio
A shallow water table limits basements on 90% of Wyandot County's mapped land, a higher share than 96% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 30%.
None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 21 flood losses here since 2016. 70% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1962.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Wyandot County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 30.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 90.4% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.4% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 4.7% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 11.7% |
| Mapped soil | 260,812 acres |
How we count · survey areas OH175 (2025-09-09)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 4.7% by land area here, and 12% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 30% of the mapped land.
On 90% of Wyandot County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 35.22 in, 2.07 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 37.29 in.
USDA rates 93% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 23 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 74.8% of its area, on the October 28, 2025 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 0% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
21 flood losses since 2016, $373,567 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 17.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 17 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 37.29 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 35.22 in (-2.07) |
| 2025 | 33.17 in (-4.12) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2011: 54.04 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1934: 21.80 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MARION 2 N (18 mi away) | 7.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 9,892 |
| Median year built | 1962 |
| Built before 1980 | 70% |
| Built 2000 or later | 12% |
| Owner-occupied | 74% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $163,400 |
| Single-family detached | 80% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Wyandot County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carey | 34% | 84% | 1,657 |
| Harpster | 61% | 95% | 151 |
| Kirby | 44% | 100% | 51 |
| Marseilles | 6% | 96% | 46 |
| Nevada | 21% | 85% | 316 |
| Sycamore | 8% | 78% | 358 |
| Upper Sandusky | 10% | 78% | 3,061 |
| Wharton | 43% | over 99% | 169 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion County, OH | 19 mi | 40% | 92% |
| Crawford County, OH | 20 mi | 3% | 93% |
| Seneca County, OH | 22 mi | 26% | 89% |
| Hancock County, OH | 22 mi | 33% | 93% |
| Hardin County, OH | 22 mi | 35% | 97% |
| Morrow County, OH | 35 mi | 9% | 87% |
| Sandusky County, OH | 37 mi | 35% | 80% |
| Union County, OH | 38 mi | 25% | 97% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 9, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status