County soil summary
Soil types in Ramsey County, Minnesota
The most widespread soils are Kingsley, Zimmerman and Hayden; the most common drainage class is well drained (24% of the land), and typical topsoil pH is 6.1.
- Well or moderately well drained
- 39% of land · state 41%
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.1 slightly acidic · state 6.5
- Septic fields very limited
- 47% of land · state 91%
- Subject to flooding
- 2% of land, any frequency · state 4%
Most common soils in Ramsey County
Share of mapped land
A county is a patchwork of many soils. These 8 cover 74% of the mapped land; 57 named soil series are mapped here in all.
| Soil | Share of land | Drainage | Topsoil pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban landLand type, not a soil series | 36.9% | — | — |
| Kingsley | 8.4% | Well drained | 6.1 |
| Zimmerman | 7.0% | Somewhat excessively drained | 6.0 |
| UdorthentsGeneral soil group, not a named series | 6.4% | — | — |
| Hayden | 5.7% | Well drained | 6.6 |
| Chetek | 4.5% | Somewhat excessively drained | 6.2 |
| Waukegan | 3.1% | Well drained | 6.5 |
| Mahtomedi | 2.3% | Excessively drained | 5.8 |
What this means
What the soils in Ramsey County mean for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For your garden
Typical topsoil in Ramsey County is slightly acidic: pH 6.1 (most land between 5.8 and 6.5), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 31% of the land: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (14% of the land).
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 47% of the land in Ramsey County very limited, 6% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (47% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Statewide, 91% of the land is very limited, so Ramsey County is less restrictive than typical.
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 (24%). 39% of the land is moderately well drained or better, compared with 41% across Minnesota.
Show as a table
| Category | Ramsey County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 5.8% | 3.1% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 8.6% | 3.9% |
| Well drained | 23.5% | 20.3% |
| Moderately well drained | 1.5% | 13.7% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 3.4% | 12.3% |
| Poorly drained | 3.0% | 20.7% |
| Very poorly drained | 7.2% | 22.1% |
| Not rated | 47.0% | 4.1% |
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 | Ramsey County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 6.1% | 4.4% |
| Very limited | 46.6% | 91.3% |
| Not rated | 47.3% | 4.3% |
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 | Ramsey County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 16.3% | 9.5% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 11.7% | 12.3% |
| C: slow infiltration | 10.7% | 16.9% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.6% | 4.4% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 7.8% | 13.9% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 4.3% | 14.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 1.4% | 24.7% |
| Not rated | 47.3% | 4.3% |
Flooding
Show as a table
| Category | Ramsey County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| No flooding | 95.1% | 92.4% |
| Rare or very rare | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Occasional | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| Frequent or very frequent | 1.4% | 2.4% |
| Not reported | 3.2% | 3.7% |
Seasonal high water table
Show as a table
| Category | Ramsey County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Within 18 inches at some time of year | 13.4% | 52.0% |
| 18 inches to 3.3 feet | 1.3% | 15.0% |
| Deeper than 3.3 feet or none reported | 82.1% | 29.6% |
| Not reported | 3.2% | 3.3% |
Topsoil pH and texture
First mineral layer of each soil
Typical topsoil pH is 6.1 (slightly acidic); 80% of rated land falls between 5.8 and 6.5. Median topsoil organic matter is 3%.
Show as a table
| Category | Ramsey County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly acidic (below 5.5) | 3.7% | 7.0% |
| Moderately to slightly acidic (5.5–6.4) | 28.1% | 27.3% |
| Near neutral (6.5–7.3) | 15.5% | 32.0% |
| Alkaline (7.4 and up) | 0.0% | 15.2% |
| Not reported | 52.7% | 18.6% |
Texture
Show as a table
| Category | Ramsey County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy | 16.3% | 11.2% |
| Loamy (loam, silt loam and similar) | 30.9% | 66.1% |
| Clayey (40%+ clay) | 0.0% | 2.2% |
| Organic (muck or peat) | 5.4% | 16.2% |
| Not reported (rock, urban land, etc.) | 47.3% | 4.3% |
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
- Ramsey County, Minnesota (FIPS 27123): 98,711 acres of mapped land, 10,189 acres of open water excluded. State comparisons pool all mapped land in Minnesota.
- 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.