Mercer County, IL Shrink-Swell Risk

Mercer County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Moderate

In Mercer County, IL, 64.6% of the surveyed soil carries a "Moderate" shrink-swell rating, 3.44% linear extensibility on average. That's a middle reading: not the sharp swings that crack a foundation outright, but enough that grading and drainage are worth getting right.

Before you rely on this for one address

Mercer County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. The real answer for one lot is still a site-specific geotechnical report, running about $1,000-$5,000 (typically near $2,700).

Budgeting for Mercer County, IL

Mercer 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.

How Mercer County, IL compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Mercer County, IL ranks 883 most-constrained nationally, and 69 of 101 within Illinois. The county spans 561 square miles, home to 15,292 people.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Sherman County, OR and Grundy County, IA 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 Illinois

Every county in Illinois is on this site, including Coles County, IL and Christian County, IL. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.