Bolivar County, MS Shrink-Swell Risk

Bolivar County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Very High

In Bolivar County, MS, 49.8% of the surveyed soil carries a "Very High" shrink-swell rating, 10.05% linear extensibility on average. Ground that moves this much routinely produces the classic expansive-soil symptoms: diagonal stair-step cracking, doors that stick seasonally, uneven floors. A standard footing is a poor bet here.

Before you rely on this for one address

Bolivar County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Bolivar County will actually do.

Budgeting for Bolivar County, MS

With Bolivar County, MS rating "Very High", the gap between finding out early and finding out late is the whole decision. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000 (typically $2,700); an actual foundation repair, once cracking sets in, typically runs $5,000-$15,000 (around $10,000 typical) - roughly 4x the report.

Where this sits nationally

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Bolivar County, MS ranks 27 most-constrained nationally, and 7 of 82 within Mississippi. The county spans 877 square miles, home to 28,395 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Shannon County, MO and Crowley County, CO are worth a look for comparison.

How this reading is built, and its real limits · The warning signs of expansive-clay damage, explained

Elsewhere in Mississippi

Every county in Mississippi is on this site, including Lawrence County, MS and Jackson County, MS. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.