Hunterdon County, NJ Shrink-Swell Risk
Shrink-swell potential in Hunterdon County, NJ
Low
Soil across 91.8% of Hunterdon County, NJ comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.74% 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 Hunterdon County, NJ - never a reading for one specific parcel. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).
Hunterdon County: the real numbers
Hunterdon 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, Hunterdon County, NJ ranks 2,226 most-constrained nationally, and 2 of 21 within New Jersey. The county spans 428 square miles, home to 131,708 people.
Before you act on this
Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Rockland County, NY and Franklin County, IN 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 New Jersey
Every county in New Jersey is on this site, including Union County, NJ and Camden County, NJ. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.