McDowell County, NC Shrink-Swell Risk

McDowell County, NC's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

McDowell County, NC: USDA's soil survey rates 98.5% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (1.34% linear extensibility). That's as favorable a county-level reading as this dataset produces - standard foundation practice, pending one lot's own geotechnical report.

What McDowell County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in McDowell County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in McDowell County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With McDowell County, NC rating "Low", 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 McDowell County, NC compares

Nationally, McDowell County, NC is the 2,667-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within North Carolina alone it ranks 88 of 100. McDowell County covers 440 square miles and counts 45,269 residents.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Clark County, KS and Coal County, OK 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 North Carolina

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