County soil summary
Soil types in Franklin County, Pennsylvania
The most widespread soils are Hagerstown, Weikert and Sideling; the most common drainage class is well drained (55% of the land), and typical topsoil pH is 5.5.
- Well or moderately well drained
- 88% of land · state 80%
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · state 5.3
- Septic fields very limited
- 73% of land · state 91%
- Subject to flooding
- 7% of land, any frequency · state 5%
Most common soils in Franklin County
Share of mapped land
A county is a patchwork of many soils. These 8 cover 57% of the mapped land; 78 named soil series are mapped here in all.
| Soil | Share of land | Drainage | Topsoil pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown | 13.1% | Well drained | 6.0 |
| Weikert | 11.9% | Well drained | 5.0 |
| Sideling | 7.3% | Moderately well drained | 5.3 |
| Berks | 7.2% | Well drained | 5.1 |
| Murrill | 5.3% | Well drained | 5.3 |
| Hazleton | 4.5% | Well drained | 4.6 |
| Dekalb | 4.1% | Well drained | 5.1 |
| Buchanan | 3.6% | Moderately well drained | 4.6 |
What this means
What the soils in Franklin County mean for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For your garden
Typical topsoil in Franklin County is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 5.0 and 6.7). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 96% of the land: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (24% of the land).
88% 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 73% of the land in Franklin County very limited, 25% somewhat limited and <1% not limited (2% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Statewide, 91% of the land is very limited, so Franklin 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 7% 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 (55%). 88% of the land is moderately well drained or better, compared with 80% across Pennsylvania.
Show as a table
| Category | Franklin County | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 10.7% | 4.7% |
| Well drained | 54.7% | 51.5% |
| Moderately well drained | 22.7% | 23.3% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 2.1% | 9.3% |
| Poorly drained | 5.6% | 6.5% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Not rated | 3.7% | 3.4% |
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 | Franklin County | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| Somewhat limited | 24.6% | 6.4% |
| Very limited | 72.7% | 91.0% |
| Not rated | 1.9% | 2.3% |
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 | Franklin County | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 11.0% | 15.8% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 36.6% | 20.3% |
| C: slow infiltration | 20.5% | 19.1% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 20.0% | 23.9% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 3.0% | 3.2% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 5.2% | 13.6% |
| Not rated | 3.2% | 3.7% |
Flooding
Show as a table
| Category | Franklin County | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| No flooding | 90.7% | 94.0% |
| Rare or very rare | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Occasional | 1.8% | 2.0% |
| Frequent or very frequent | 5.4% | 2.7% |
| Not reported | 1.9% | 0.9% |
Seasonal high water table
Show as a table
| Category | Franklin County | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Within 18 inches at some time of year | 8.1% | 26.1% |
| 18 inches to 3.3 feet | 23.7% | 18.0% |
| Deeper than 3.3 feet or none reported | 67.0% | 55.6% |
| Not reported | 1.2% | 0.3% |
Topsoil pH and texture
First mineral layer of each soil
Typical topsoil pH is 5.5 (strongly acidic); 80% of rated land falls between 5.0 and 6.7. Median topsoil organic matter is 2.5%.
Show as a table
| Category | Franklin County | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly acidic (below 5.5) | 45.2% | 54.8% |
| Moderately to slightly acidic (5.5–6.4) | 39.5% | 35.8% |
| Near neutral (6.5–7.3) | 12.0% | 6.0% |
| Alkaline (7.4 and up) | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| Not reported | 3.2% | 3.5% |
Texture
Show as a table
| Category | Franklin County | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Loamy (loam, silt loam and similar) | 96.2% | 95.8% |
| Clayey (40%+ clay) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Organic (muck or peat) | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Not reported (rock, urban land, etc.) | 3.2% | 3.6% |
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
- Franklin County, Pennsylvania (FIPS 42055): 492,071 acres of mapped land, 1,561 acres of open water excluded. State comparisons pool all mapped land in Pennsylvania.
- 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.