County soil summary
Soil types in Spartanburg County, South Carolina
The most widespread soils are Cecil, Bethlehem and Pacolet; the most common drainage class is well drained (88% of the land), and typical topsoil pH is 5.3.
- Well or moderately well drained
- 90% of land · state 66%
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · state 5.3
- Septic fields very limited
- 41% of land · state 75%
- Subject to flooding
- 8% of land, any frequency · state 14%
Most common soils in Spartanburg County
Share of mapped land
A county is a patchwork of many soils. These 8 cover 96% of the mapped land; 22 named soil series are mapped here in all.
| Soil | Share of land | Drainage | Topsoil pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cecil | 64.0% | Well drained | 5.5 |
| Bethlehem | 9.0% | Well drained | 5.2 |
| Pacolet | 7.1% | Well drained | 5.5 |
| Urban landLand type, not a soil series | 5.9% | — | — |
| Toccoa | 4.6% | Moderately well drained | 5.8 |
| Chewacla | 3.1% | Somewhat poorly drained | 5.5 |
| Cataula | 1.4% | Moderately well drained | 5.4 |
| Spartanburg | 1.1% | Well drained | 5.5 |
What this means
What the soils in Spartanburg County mean for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For your garden
Typical topsoil in Spartanburg County is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.2 and 5.8). 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 93% of the land: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (65% of the land).
90% 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 41% of the land in Spartanburg County very limited, 59% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Statewide, 75% of the land is very limited, so Spartanburg County is less restrictive than typical.
Flooding is mapped on 8% of the land (0% occasional, 8% 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 (88%). 90% of the land is moderately well drained or better, compared with 66% across South Carolina.
Show as a table
| Category | Spartanburg County | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% | 3.9% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% | 3.6% |
| Well drained | 88.4% | 45.3% |
| Moderately well drained | 2.0% | 13.4% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 3.3% | 9.5% |
| Poorly drained | 0.2% | 14.3% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.2% | 9.3% |
| Not rated | 6.0% | 0.8% |
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 | Spartanburg County | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Somewhat limited | 58.6% | 24.3% |
| Very limited | 41.3% | 75.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% | 0.3% |
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 | Spartanburg County | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% | 12.7% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 75.7% | 33.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 11.0% | 14.6% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 4.1% | 4.8% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% | 8.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 3.2% | 12.3% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% | 13.7% |
| Not rated | 6.0% | 0.9% |
Flooding
Show as a table
| Category | Spartanburg County | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| No flooding | 92.2% | 85.7% |
| Rare or very rare | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Occasional | 0.0% | 2.5% |
| Frequent or very frequent | 7.6% | 10.8% |
| Not reported | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Seasonal high water table
Show as a table
| Category | Spartanburg County | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Within 18 inches at some time of year | 3.6% | 34.8% |
| 18 inches to 3.3 feet | 6.2% | 12.1% |
| Deeper than 3.3 feet or none reported | 90.2% | 53.1% |
Topsoil pH and texture
First mineral layer of each soil
Typical topsoil pH is 5.3 (strongly acidic); 80% of rated land falls between 5.2 and 5.8. Median topsoil organic matter is 0.5%.
Show as a table
| Category | Spartanburg County | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly acidic (below 5.5) | 62.7% | 62.3% |
| Moderately to slightly acidic (5.5–6.4) | 26.5% | 34.1% |
| Near neutral (6.5–7.3) | 4.8% | 2.4% |
| Alkaline (7.4 and up) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Not reported | 6.0% | 1.1% |
Texture
Show as a table
| Category | Spartanburg County | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy | 1.1% | 42.7% |
| Loamy (loam, silt loam and similar) | 92.9% | 55.0% |
| Clayey (40%+ clay) | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| Organic (muck or peat) | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Not reported (rock, urban land, etc.) | 6.0% | 0.8% |
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
- Spartanburg County, South Carolina (FIPS 45083): 514,141 acres of mapped land, 9,559 acres of open water excluded. State comparisons pool all mapped land in South Carolina.
- 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.