Wilson County, KS Shrink-Swell Risk
Wilson County, KS's soil, for shrink-swell risk
Moderate
Wilson County, KS: USDA's soil survey rates 41.4% of the county "Moderate" for shrink-swell potential (5.73% linear extensibility). A real but modest amount of movement - standard foundations usually hold up, but drainage and moisture control around the foundation still matter more than on low-risk soil.
What Wilson County's reading doesn't cover
Two lots a mile apart in Wilson County can carry different soil, even though they share one countywide reading. 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 Wilson County.
What it costs to find out, versus to ignore it
With Wilson County, KS rating "Moderate", 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.
How Wilson County, KS compares
Nationally, Wilson County, KS is the 179-most-constrained of 3,085 rated counties for shrink-swell soil. Within Kansas alone it ranks 29 of 105. The county spans 570 square miles, home to 8,398 people.
Before you act on this
Orleans Parish, LA carries this site's most-constrained reading. Perry County, KY and Moffat County, CO 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 Kansas
Every county in Kansas is on this site, including Hamilton County, KS and Reno County, KS. The full underlying dataset is downloadable directly, one row per county.