Bergen County, NJ Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Bergen County, NJ

Low

Soil across 100% of Bergen County, NJ comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.32% 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 Bergen County, NJ - 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 Bergen County will actually do.

Bergen County: the real numbers

Bergen 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 Bergen County, NJ compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Bergen County, NJ ranks 2,680 most-constrained nationally, and 12 of 21 within New Jersey. The county spans 233 square miles, home to 978,641 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Windsor County, VT and Montezuma County, CO 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 New Jersey

Every county in New Jersey is on this site, including Cumberland County, NJ and Sussex County, NJ. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.