Elk County, PA Shrink-Swell Risk

Elk County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Low

In Elk County, PA, 96.5% of the surveyed soil carries a "Low" shrink-swell rating, 1.46% linear extensibility on average. That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

Before you rely on this for one address

Elk 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 Elk County will actually do.

Budgeting for Elk County, PA

Elk 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.

Where this sits nationally

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Elk County, PA ranks 2,558 most-constrained nationally, and 39 of 67 within Pennsylvania. The county spans 827 square miles, home to 30,124 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. St. Bernard Parish, LA and Okmulgee County, OK 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 Pennsylvania

Every county in Pennsylvania is on this site, including Huntingdon County, PA and Snyder County, PA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.