Jefferson County, PA Shrink-Swell Risk

Jefferson County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Low

In Jefferson County, PA, 91.8% of the surveyed soil carries a "Low" shrink-swell rating, 1.47% linear extensibility on average. That's the easiest starting point on this site's scale - a standard foundation is the reasonable default here, though any one lot can still differ.

Before you rely on this for one address

Jefferson 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 Jefferson County will actually do.

Budgeting for Jefferson County, PA

Jefferson 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.

Jefferson County's rank among Pennsylvania counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Jefferson County, PA ranks 2,544 most-constrained nationally, and 37 of 67 within Pennsylvania. Jefferson County covers 652 square miles and counts 43,367 residents.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Kosciusko County, IN and Benzie County, MI 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 Lycoming County, PA and Northumberland County, PA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.