Gaston County, NC Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Gaston County, NC

Low

Soil across 78% of Gaston County, NC comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 2.17% linear extensibility. Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

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

Gaston County: the real numbers

Gaston 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.

Gaston County's rank among North Carolina counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Gaston County, NC ranks 1,821 most-constrained nationally, and 30 of 100 within North Carolina. The county spans 356 square miles, home to 242,010 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Runnels County, TX and Elmore County, AL 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 North Carolina

Every county in North Carolina is on this site, including Franklin County, NC and Sampson County, NC. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.