County soil summary
Soil types in Washington County, Maryland
The most widespread soils are Hagerstown, Duffield and Weikert; the most common drainage class is well drained (69% of the land), and typical topsoil pH is 6.3.
- Well or moderately well drained
- 89% of land · state 70%
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.3 slightly acidic · state 5.4
- Septic fields very limited
- 62% of land · state 85%
- Subject to flooding
- 9% of land, any frequency · state 10%
Most common soils in Washington County
Share of mapped land
A county is a patchwork of many soils. These 8 cover 51% of the mapped land; 68 named soil series are mapped here in all.
| Soil | Share of land | Drainage | Topsoil pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown | 17.5% | Well drained | 6.0 |
| Duffield | 9.1% | Well drained | 6.7 |
| Weikert | 5.4% | Well drained | 5.0 |
| Ryder | 4.5% | Well drained | 6.2 |
| Opequon | 4.1% | Well drained | 6.5 |
| Swanpond | 3.6% | Moderately well drained | 6.4 |
| Rock outcropLand type, not a soil series | 3.6% | — | — |
| Bagtown | 3.2% | Well drained | 5.0 |
What this means
What the soils in Washington County mean for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For your garden
Typical topsoil in Washington County is slightly acidic: pH 6.3 (most land between 5.0 and 6.9), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 94% of the land: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (30% of the land).
89% of the land is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For your lawn and yard
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 62% of the land in Washington County very limited, 35% somewhat limited and 1% not limited (2% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Statewide, 85% of the land is very limited, so Washington County is less restrictive than typical.
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Flooding is mapped on 9% of the land (2% occasional, 5% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Drainage
How long the soil stays wet
The most common drainage class is well drained (69%). 89% of the land is moderately well drained or better, compared with 70% across Maryland.
Show as a table
| Category | Washington County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% | 1.3% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 4.5% | 1.9% |
| Well drained | 69.1% | 48.1% |
| Moderately well drained | 15.2% | 18.2% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 3.4% | 4.5% |
| Poorly drained | 2.1% | 12.9% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.4% | 6.3% |
| Not rated | 5.3% | 6.8% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating for conventional drain fields
The rating looks at the soil from 24 to 60 inches deep: permeability, depth to a seasonal water table or bedrock, flooding and slope. “Very limited” means at least one feature is unfavorable enough that a conventional field is hard to make work.
Show as a table
| Category | Washington County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Not limited | 1.0% | 0.5% |
| Somewhat limited | 35.3% | 7.6% |
| Very limited | 62.0% | 85.4% |
| Not rated | 1.7% | 6.5% |
Rain, runoff and water table
Hydrologic soil group, flooding, seasonal water table
Hydrologic soil group
How fast rain soaks in when the soil is already wet. Group A soaks in fastest, D slowest.
Show as a table
| Category | Washington County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 4.4% | 10.9% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 48.3% | 26.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 23.4% | 25.7% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 18.2% | 11.6% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 1.0% | 4.5% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.8% | 5.3% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 2.5% | 12.8% |
| Not rated | 1.3% | 2.5% |
Flooding
Show as a table
| Category | Washington County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| No flooding | 90.2% | 86.8% |
| Rare or very rare | 2.0% | 0.2% |
| Occasional | 2.1% | 2.6% |
| Frequent or very frequent | 4.5% | 7.5% |
| Not reported | 1.2% | 2.9% |
Seasonal high water table
Show as a table
| Category | Washington County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Within 18 inches at some time of year | 4.1% | 25.1% |
| 18 inches to 3.3 feet | 14.2% | 18.9% |
| Deeper than 3.3 feet or none reported | 81.2% | 53.1% |
| Not reported | 0.5% | 2.8% |
Topsoil pH and texture
First mineral layer of each soil
Typical topsoil pH is 6.3 (slightly acidic); 80% of rated land falls between 5.0 and 6.9. Median topsoil organic matter is 2.5%.
Show as a table
| Category | Washington County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly acidic (below 5.5) | 25.1% | 50.9% |
| Moderately to slightly acidic (5.5–6.4) | 27.0% | 33.6% |
| Near neutral (6.5–7.3) | 41.2% | 7.0% |
| Alkaline (7.4 and up) | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Not reported | 5.6% | 7.5% |
Texture
Show as a table
| Category | Washington County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy | 0.0% | 9.5% |
| Loamy (loam, silt loam and similar) | 94.4% | 78.4% |
| Clayey (40%+ clay) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Organic (muck or peat) | 0.0% | 5.8% |
| Not reported (rock, urban land, etc.) | 5.6% | 6.3% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- Washington County, Maryland (FIPS 24043): 291,580 acres of mapped land, 6,584 acres of open water excluded. State comparisons pool all mapped land in Maryland.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped land area: each map unit’s acres in the county times each soil component’s percentage. Open water is excluded. Topsoil values use the first mineral horizon of each component. Full methodology.