Nueces County, TX Shrink-Swell Risk
Shrink-swell potential in Nueces County, TX
Very High
Soil across 61.7% of Nueces County, TX comes back "Very High" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 12.2% linear extensibility. Ground that moves this much routinely produces the classic expansive-soil symptoms: diagonal stair-step cracking, doors that stick seasonally, uneven floors. A standard footing is a poor bet here.
What this number does and doesn't tell you
This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Nueces County, TX - 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 Nueces County.
Nueces County: the real numbers
Nueces County's soil reading is exactly the case where a report before construction, or before cracks widen, pays for itself. A geotechnical report runs $1,000-$5,000 (typically $2,700); an actual foundation repair, once cracking sets in, typically runs $5,000-$15,000 (around $10,000 typical) - roughly 4x the report.
Where this sits nationally
Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Nueces County, TX ranks 9 most-constrained nationally, and 1 of 253 within Texas. The county spans 839 square miles, home to 353,125 people.
Before you act on this
Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Piscataquis County, ME and Llano County, TX are worth a look for comparison.
How this reading is built, and its real limits · The warning signs of expansive-clay damage, explained
Elsewhere in Texas
Every county in Texas is on this site, including Lee County, TX and Kimble County, TX. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.