Carter County, MO Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Carter County, MO

Low

Soil across 98% of Carter County, MO comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.23% linear extensibility. That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Carter County, MO - 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 Carter County will actually do.

Carter County: the real numbers

Carter 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.

Carter County's rank among Missouri counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Carter County, MO ranks 2,754 most-constrained nationally, and 112 of 114 within Missouri. Carter County, MO is 507 square miles with a population of 5,359.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Laclede County, MO and Sonoma County, CA 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 Missouri

Every county in Missouri is on this site, including Macon County, MO and Vernon County, MO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.