Clay County, MS Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Clay County, MS

Moderate

Soil across 43% of Clay County, MS comes back "Moderate" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 4.67% linear extensibility. A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.

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, MS - 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, MS compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Clay County, MS ranks 355 most-constrained nationally, and 14 of 82 within Mississippi. Clay County, MS is 410 square miles with a population of 18,213.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Buchanan County, IA and Chicot County, AR 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 Mississippi

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