Malheur County, OR Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Malheur County, OR

Low

Soil across 67.6% of Malheur County, OR comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 2.75% 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 Malheur County, OR - 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).

Malheur County: the real numbers

Malheur 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, Malheur County, OR ranks 1,376 most-constrained nationally, and 18 of 36 within Oregon. Malheur County, OR is 9,888 square miles with a population of 32,315.

Before you act on this

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Putnam County, TN and Hickory County, MO 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 Oregon

Every county in Oregon is on this site, including Coos County, OR and Grant County, OR. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.