Jackson County, MN Shrink-Swell Risk

What Jackson County, MN's soil means for a foundation

Moderate

USDA's SSURGO data puts Jackson County, MN's soil at "Moderate" shrink-swell potential, an area-weighted linear extensibility of 3.98% across 42.9% of the county's surveyed land. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

This is a county figure, not a lot figure

USDA's survey covers the whole of Jackson County, MN at once, not any single address. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Report cost vs. repair cost

With Jackson County, MN rating "Moderate", a geotechnical report is still worthwhile before a build, just less urgent than in a high-risk county. 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 Jackson County, MN compares

Nationally, Jackson County, MN is the 579-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Minnesota alone it ranks 8 of 87. Jackson County covers 703 square miles and counts 9,861 residents.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Long County, GA and Langlade County, WI 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

More of Minnesota

Every county in Minnesota is on this site, including Goodhue County, MN and Pipestone County, MN. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.