St. Louis County, MN Shrink-Swell Risk
Shrink-swell potential in St. Louis County, MN
Low
Soil across 85.2% of St. Louis County, MN comes back "Low" in USDA's shrink-swell data, averaging 1.49% 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 this number does and doesn't tell you
This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in St. Louis County, MN - never a reading for one specific parcel. A local geotechnical report, typically $1,000-$5,000 (around $2,700 typical), is the only way to know what one lot in St. Louis County will actually do.
St. Louis County: the real numbers
St. Louis 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, St. Louis County, MN ranks 2,512 most-constrained nationally, and 74 of 87 within Minnesota. The county spans 6,248 square miles, home to 200,794 people.
Before you act on this
Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Charles City County, VA and New Castle County, DE 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 Minnesota
Every county in Minnesota is on this site, including Chisago County, MN and Aitkin County, MN. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.