Pender County, NC Shrink-Swell Risk

Shrink-swell potential in Pender County, NC

Low

Soil across 99.3% of Pender County, NC comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.46% 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 Pender County, NC - 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).

Pender County: the real numbers

Pender 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.

Pender County's rank among North Carolina counties

Among the 3,085 rated counties on this site, Pender County, NC ranks 2,552 most-constrained nationally, and 78 of 100 within North Carolina. Pender County covers 871 square miles and counts 70,077 residents.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. White County, AR and Rockwall 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

Elsewhere in North Carolina

Every county in North Carolina is on this site, including Rockingham County, NC and Wilkes County, NC. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.