Sampson County, NC Shrink-Swell Risk

Sampson County, NC's soil, for shrink-swell risk

Low

Sampson County, NC: USDA's soil survey rates 99.6% of the county "Low" for shrink-swell potential (1.31% linear extensibility). Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.

What Sampson County's reading doesn't cover

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

What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it

With Sampson County, NC rating "Low", 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.

Sampson County's rank among North Carolina counties

Nationally, Sampson County, NC is the 2,690-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within North Carolina alone it ranks 91 of 100. The county spans 946 square miles, home to 60,404 people.

See how another county compares

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Presque Isle County, MI and Fauquier County, VA 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 North Carolina

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