Expansive Soil in Texas: County Ratings
86 of the 254 rated counties in Texas have a dominant shrink-swell rating of High or Very High. Each rating below is the NRCS shrink-swell class covering the largest share of the county's mapped soil acres, computed from USDA SSURGO data. Open a county for the full class breakdown and what it means for a slab foundation.
| County | Dominant class | High + Very High share | Survey coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson County | Low | 13% | 99% |
| Andrews County | Low | 0% | 100% |
| Angelina County | High | 43% | 93% |
| Aransas County | Low | 36% | 58% * |
| Archer County | High | 51% | 97% |
| Armstrong County | High | 46% | 100% |
| Atascosa County | Moderate | 28% | 100% |
| Austin County | Low | 46% | 99% |
| Bailey County | Moderate | 3% | 100% |
| Bandera County | Moderate | 21% | 99% |
| Bastrop County | Low | 59% | 99% |
| Baylor County | High | 44% | 97% |
| Bee County | Moderate | 36% | 100% |
| Bell County | Very High | 64% | 96% |
| Bexar County | Moderate | 50% | 99% |
| Blanco County | Low | 30% | 100% |
| Borden County | Moderate | 36% | 99% |
| Bosque County | Moderate | 45% | 98% |
| Bowie County | High | 61% | 96% |
| Brazoria County | Very High | 77% | 96% |
| Brazos County | High | 73% | 98% |
| Brewster County | Low | 6% | 99% |
| Briscoe County | Low | 40% | 100% |
| Brooks County | Low | 1% | 100% |
| Brown County | Moderate | 25% | 99% |
| Burleson County | High | 57% | 98% |
| Burnet County | Moderate | 34% | 98% |
| Caldwell County | Very High | 68% | 100% |
| Calhoun County | Very High | 68% | 56% * |
| Callahan County | Moderate | 46% | 99% |
| Cameron County | Very High | 48% | 81% |
| Camp County | Moderate | 13% | 98% |
| Carson County | High | 53% | 100% |
| Cass County | Low | 5% | 97% |
| Castro County | High | 78% | 100% |
| Chambers County | Very High | 73% | 93% |
| Cherokee County | Low | 4% | 99% |
| Childress County | Low | 8% | 97% |
| Clay County | Moderate | 37% | 98% |
| Cochran County | Low | 0% | 100% |
| Coke County | Moderate | 18% | 97% |
| Coleman County | Moderate | 49% | 98% |
| Collin County | Very High | 76% | 96% |
| Collingsworth County | Low | 3% | 100% |
| Colorado County | High | 51% | 99% |
| Comal County | Moderate | 23% | 99% |
| Comanche County | Moderate | 28% | 99% |
| Concho County | Low | 36% | 98% |
| Cooke County | Moderate | 46% | 97% |
| Coryell County | Moderate | 32% | 100% |
| Cottle County | Low | 8% | 100% |
| Crane County | Low | 3% | 100% |
| Crockett County | Low | 17% | 96% |
| Crosby County | High | 56% | 99% |
| Culberson County | Low | 2% | 100% |
| Dallam County | Moderate | 5% | 100% |
| Dallas County | Very High | 72% | 91% |
| Dawson County | Moderate | 2% | 100% |
| DeWitt County | Moderate | 35% | 100% |
| Deaf Smith County | High | 65% | 100% |
| Delta County | Very High | 95% | 93% |
| Denton County | High | 63% | 92% |
| Dickens County | Low | 10% | 100% |
| Dimmit County | Low | 34% | 100% |
| Donley County | Low | 4% | 99% |
| Duval County | Low | 2% | 100% |
| Eastland County | Moderate | 14% | 100% |
| Ector County | Low | 0% | 100% |
| Edwards County | Moderate | 6% | 100% |
| El Paso County | Low | 4% | 99% |
| Ellis County | Very High | 74% | 98% |
| Erath County | Moderate | 14% | 99% |
| Falls County | Very High | 84% | 99% |
| Fannin County | High | 76% | 99% |
| Fayette County | High | 76% | 99% |
| Fisher County | Moderate | 9% | 99% |
| Floyd County | High | 84% | 100% |
| Foard County | High | 57% | 100% |
| Fort Bend County | Very High | 76% | 97% |
| Franklin County | High | 57% | 97% |
| Freestone County | Low | 45% | 98% |
| Frio County | Low | 14% | 100% |
| Gaines County | Low | 0% | 99% |
| Galveston County | Low | 37% | 71% * |
| Garza County | Low | 26% | 99% |
| Gillespie County | High | 55% | 99% |
| Glasscock County | Moderate | 19% | 100% |
| Goliad County | Moderate | 36% | 100% |
| Gonzales County | High | 62% | 99% |
| Gray County | Low | 31% | 100% |
| Grayson County | High | 64% | 95% |
| Gregg County | Low | 8% | 98% |
| Grimes County | High | 70% | 99% |
| Guadalupe County | Very High | 61% | 99% |
| Hale County | High | 84% | 100% |
| Hall County | Low | 1% | 97% |
| Hamilton County | Moderate | 34% | 100% |
| Hansford County | High | 57% | 100% |
| Hardeman County | Low | 28% | 96% |
| Hardin County | Low | 17% | 99% |
| Harris County | Low | 36% | 94% |
| Harrison County | Low | 29% | 98% |
| Hartley County | Moderate | 8% | 100% |
| Haskell County | High | 62% | 99% |
| Hays County | Moderate | 17% | 97% |
| Hemphill County | Low | 1% | 100% |
| Henderson County | Low | 34% | 91% |
| Hidalgo County | Low | 14% | 98% |
| Hill County | Very High | 64% | 97% |
| Hockley County | Moderate | 5% | 100% |
| Hood County | Moderate | 8% | 96% |
| Hopkins County | Very High | 75% | 97% |
| Houston County | Low | 41% | 99% |
| Howard County | Low | 26% | 99% |
| Hudspeth County | Low | 3% | 100% |
| Hunt County | Very High | 94% | 96% |
| Hutchinson County | Low | 20% | 99% |
| Irion County | Low | 30% | 100% |
| Jack County | Moderate | 18% | 99% |
| Jackson County | High | 83% | 97% |
| Jasper County | Low | 24% | 96% |
| Jeff Davis County | Low | 17% | 100% |
| Jefferson County | Very High | 73% | 86% |
| Jim Hogg County | Low | 0% | 100% |
| Jim Wells County | Moderate | 30% | 100% |
| Johnson County | Very High | 60% | 99% |
| Jones County | High | 45% | 99% |
| Karnes County | High | 63% | 99% |
| Kaufman County | Very High | 90% | 96% |
| Kendall County | Moderate | 20% | 100% |
| Kenedy County | Low | 0% | 93% |
| Kent County | Low | 3% | 100% |
| Kerr County | Moderate | 53% | 100% |
| Kimble County | High | 75% | 100% |
| King County | Low | 12% | 100% |
| Kinney County | Low | 13% | 100% |
| Kleberg County | Moderate | 40% | 86% |
| Knox County | Low | 28% | 99% |
| La Salle County | Low | 37% | 99% |
| Lamar County | High | 85% | 98% |
| Lamb County | Moderate | 15% | 100% |
| Lampasas County | Low | 22% | 100% |
| Lavaca County | High | 58% | 100% |
| Lee County | High | 56% | 99% |
| Leon County | Low | 24% | 99% |
| Liberty County | Very High | 54% | 99% |
| Limestone County | Very High | 75% | 98% |
| Lipscomb County | Low | 8% | 100% |
| Live Oak County | Moderate | 37% | 96% |
| Llano County | Low | 5% | 97% |
| Loving County | Low | 2% | 100% |
| Lubbock County | Moderate | 35% | 100% |
| Lynn County | Moderate | 4% | 100% |
| Madison County | High | 74% | 99% |
| Marion County | Low | 4% | 92% |
| Martin County | Moderate | 6% | 100% |
| Mason County | Low | 10% | 100% |
| Matagorda County | Very High | 89% | 80% * |
| Maverick County | Low | 37% | 99% |
| McCulloch County | High | 61% | 99% |
| McLennan County | Very High | 71% | 97% |
| McMullen County | Moderate | 46% | 85% |
| Medina County | Low | 36% | 99% |
| Menard County | High | 87% | 100% |
| Midland County | Moderate | 3% | 100% |
| Milam County | High | 63% | 99% |
| Mills County | Moderate | 32% | 100% |
| Mitchell County | Low | 33% | 99% |
| Montague County | Moderate | 18% | 99% |
| Montgomery County | Low | 18% | 94% |
| Moore County | High | 49% | 99% |
| Morris County | Moderate | 34% | 98% |
| Motley County | Low | 2% | 98% |
| Nacogdoches County | Moderate | 9% | 97% |
| Navarro County | Very High | 92% | 93% |
| Newton County | Low | 19% | 99% |
| Nolan County | Low | 15% | 100% |
| Nueces County | Very High | 77% | 76% * |
| Ochiltree County | High | 67% | 100% |
| Oldham County | Low | 18% | 100% |
| Orange County | Moderate | 31% | 93% |
| Palo Pinto County | Moderate | 12% | 97% |
| Panola County | High | 61% | 99% |
| Parker County | Moderate | 10% | 99% |
| Parmer County | High | 61% | 100% |
| Pecos County | Low | 6% | 100% |
| Polk County | Low | 28% | 96% |
| Potter County | Low | 18% | 98% |
| Presidio County | Low | 13% | 100% |
| Rains County | Very High | 80% | 90% |
| Randall County | High | 64% | 100% |
| Reagan County | Moderate | 14% | 100% |
| Real County | Moderate | 13% | 100% |
| Red River County | High | 76% | 99% |
| Reeves County | Moderate | 12% | 100% |
| Refugio County | Very High | 65% | 94% |
| Roberts County | Low | 8% | 100% |
| Robertson County | Low | 42% | 99% |
| Rockwall County | Very High | 100% | 86% |
| Runnels County | Low | 31% | 99% |
| Rusk County | Moderate | 26% | 98% |
| Sabine County | High | 47% | 85% |
| San Augustine County | Moderate | 30% | 89% |
| San Jacinto County | Low | 20% | 91% |
| San Patricio County | Very High | 65% | 97% |
| San Saba County | Moderate | 40% | 100% |
| Schleicher County | High | 84% | 100% |
| Scurry County | Moderate | 8% | 99% |
| Shackelford County | High | 55% | 99% |
| Shelby County | High | 66% | 96% |
| Sherman County | Moderate | 32% | 100% |
| Smith County | Low | 4% | 97% |
| Somervell County | Moderate | 9% | 97% |
| Starr County | Low | 15% | 99% |
| Stephens County | Moderate | 27% | 97% |
| Sterling County | Low | 34% | 100% |
| Stonewall County | Low | 18% | 99% |
| Sutton County | High | 82% | 100% |
| Swisher County | High | 87% | 100% |
| Tarrant County | Very High | 59% | 92% |
| Taylor County | Moderate | 31% | 99% |
| Terrell County | Low | 0% | 99% |
| Terry County | Low | 0% | 100% |
| Throckmorton County | Moderate | 34% | 100% |
| Titus County | High | 70% | 96% |
| Tom Green County | High | 66% | 98% |
| Travis County | Moderate | 42% | 96% |
| Trinity County | Low | 41% | 97% |
| Tyler County | Low | 23% | 99% |
| Upshur County | Low | 2% | 99% |
| Upton County | Moderate | 0% | 100% |
| Uvalde County | Low | 25% | 100% |
| Val Verde County | Low | 4% | 98% |
| Van Zandt County | High | 57% | 99% |
| Victoria County | High | 80% | 99% |
| Walker County | Low | 52% | 98% |
| Waller County | Low | 28% | 98% |
| Ward County | Low | 4% | 100% |
| Washington County | Very High | 68% | 98% |
| Webb County | Low | 36% | 100% |
| Wharton County | High | 77% | 99% |
| Wheeler County | Low | 1% | 99% |
| Wichita County | High | 54% | 96% |
| Wilbarger County | Moderate | 31% | 98% |
| Willacy County | Low | 26% | 90% |
| Williamson County | Very High | 71% | 99% |
| Wilson County | Moderate | 29% | 100% |
| Winkler County | Low | 0% | 100% |
| Wise County | Moderate | 21% | 97% |
| Wood County | Low | 28% | 93% |
| Yoakum County | Low | 0% | 100% |
| Young County | Moderate | 15% | 99% |
| Zapata County | Low | 20% | 94% |
| Zavala County | Moderate | 28% | 100% |
* Less than 80% of this county's map acres have completed soil survey data; treat its rating as provisional.
How these ratings are computed
Ratings come from USDA NRCS SSURGO soil survey data: for each soil component we take the maximum linear extensibility percent (lep_r) in the top 100 cm, apply the NRCS Handbook Part 618 class limits (Low under 3 percent, Moderate 3 to 6, High 6 to 9, Very High 9 and above), assign map units by plurality of component percent, and roll acres up to the county. Full details on the methodology section of the lookup page. A county rating is not a parcel-level geotechnical assessment.