Monroe County, WV Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Monroe County, WV

Low

Soil across 80.6% of Monroe County, WV comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 2.21% 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 this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Monroe County, WV - never a reading for one specific parcel. A site-specific soil report, usually $1,000-$5,000, is what an engineer would actually pull before designing a foundation on a lot in Monroe County.

Monroe County: the real numbers

Monroe 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 Monroe County, WV compares

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Monroe County, WV ranks 1,791 most-constrained nationally, and 23 of 55 within West Virginia. Monroe County covers 473 square miles and counts 12,462 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Swisher County, TX and Dade County, GA 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 West Virginia

Every county in West Virginia is on this site, including Calhoun County, WV and Marshall County, WV. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.