Mercer County, MO Shrink-Swell Risk

Mercer County, MO's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Moderate

Mercer County, MO: USDA's soil survey rates 61% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.28% linear extensibility). A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.

What Mercer County's reading doesn't cover

Two lots a mile apart in Mercer 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 Mercer County will actually do.

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Mercer County, MO 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.

Where this sits nationally

Nationally, Mercer County, MO is the 244-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Missouri alone it ranks 30 of 114. Mercer County covers 454 square miles and counts 3,452 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Chesterfield County, VA and Coryell County, TX 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 Missouri

Every county in Missouri is on this site, including Grundy County, MO and Nodaway County, MO. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.