Somerset County, MD Shrink-Swell Risk

Somerset County's SSURGO shrink-swell reading

Low

In Somerset County, MD, 97.9% of the surveyed soil carries a "Low" shrink-swell rating, 1.34% linear extensibility on average. Among the 3,144 counties on this site, that's the clean result: little shrink-swell movement, standard construction the likely outcome.

Before you rely on this for one address

Somerset County's reading is an average across the whole county, not a promise about any one lot inside it. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in Somerset County will actually do.

Budgeting for Somerset County, MD

Somerset 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, Somerset County, MD ranks 2,670 most-constrained nationally, and 16 of 24 within Maryland. Somerset County, MD is 320 square miles with a population of 25,241.

For contrast

Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Campbell County, KY and White Pine County, NV 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 Maryland

Every county in Maryland is on this site, including Washington County, MD and Wicomico County, MD. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.