Beaufort County, NC Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Beaufort County, NC

Low

Soil across 61.4% of Beaufort County, NC comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 2.59% linear extensibility. Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Beaufort County, NC - never a reading for one specific parcel. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Beaufort County will actually do.

Beaufort County: the real numbers

Beaufort County's soil reading points toward standard foundation practice as the likely outcome, not the exception. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000, typically around $2,700. Foundation repair, if a specific lot turns out to differ from the county average, runs $5,000-$15,000.

How Beaufort County, NC compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Beaufort County, NC ranks 1,484 most-constrained nationally, and 16 of 100 within North Carolina. Beaufort County covers 833 square miles and counts 44,576 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Pettis County, MO and Warren County, NC are worth a look for comparison.

How this reading is built, and its real limits · Moisture management: the cheap fix that works on any soil

Elsewhere in North Carolina

Every county in North Carolina is on this site, including Bladen County, NC and Warren County, NC. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.