Nantucket County, MA Shrink-Swell Risk
Shrink-swell potential in Nantucket County, MA
Low
Soil across 99.3% of Nantucket County, MA comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.35% linear extensibility. That's the easiest starting point on this site's scale - a standard foundation is the reasonable default here, though any one lot can still differ.
What this number does and doesn't tell you
This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Nantucket County, MA - 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).
Nantucket County: the real numbers
Nantucket 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, Nantucket County, MA ranks 2,663 most-constrained nationally, and 1 of 14 within Massachusetts. Nantucket County covers 46 square miles and counts 14,670 residents.
See how another county compares
Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Howard County, MO and Pepin County, WI 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 Massachusetts
Every county in Massachusetts is on this site, including Essex County, MA and Worcester County, MA. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.