Clay County, MO Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Clay County, MO

Moderate

Soil across 53% of Clay County, MO comes back "Moderate" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 5.31% linear extensibility. Conventional foundations are the reasonable expectation here, with routine moisture-control practice rather than special engineering.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Clay County, MO - never a reading for one specific parcel. A site-specific soil report, usually $1,000-$5,000, is what an engineer would actually pull before designing a foundation on a lot in Clay County.

Clay County: the real numbers

Clay 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 Clay County, MO compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Clay County, MO ranks 241 most-constrained nationally, and 29 of 114 within Missouri. Clay County, MO is 398 square miles with a population of 263,370.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Graham County, NC and Fisher County, TX 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 Madison County, MO and Cooper County, MO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.