County soil summary
Soil types in Brazos County, Texas
The most widespread soils are Tabor, Ships and Sandow; the most common drainage class is moderately well drained (63% of the land), and typical topsoil pH is 6.2.
- Well or moderately well drained
- 80% of land · state 88%
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · state 7.5
- Septic fields very limited
- 85% of land · state 71%
- Subject to flooding
- 25% of land, any frequency · state 10%
Most common soils in Brazos County
Share of mapped land
A county is a patchwork of many soils. These 8 cover 44% of the mapped land; 58 named soil series are mapped here in all.
| Soil | Share of land | Drainage | Topsoil pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tabor | 6.4% | Moderately well drained | 5.8 |
| Ships | 6.0% | Moderately well drained | 7.8 |
| Sandow | 5.8% | Moderately well drained | 6.5 |
| Gredge | 5.5% | Moderately well drained | 5.5 |
| UnnamedGeneral soil group, not a named series | 5.4% | — | — |
| Zack | 5.2% | Moderately well drained | 5.8 |
| Boonville | 5.0% | Somewhat poorly drained | 6.2 |
| Rader | 4.2% | Moderately well drained | 5.5 |
What this means
What the soils in Brazos County mean for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For your garden
Typical topsoil in Brazos County is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 5.5 and 7.8), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 53% of the land: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (40% of the land).
80% of the land is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For your lawn and yard
On 82% of the land, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 85% of the land in Brazos County very limited, 2% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (13% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Statewide, 71% of the land is very limited, so Brazos County is more 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 25% of the land (0% occasional, 14% 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 moderately well drained (63%). 80% of the land is moderately well drained or better, compared with 88% across Texas.
Show as a table
| Category | Brazos County | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 1.0% | 1.4% |
| Well drained | 16.4% | 69.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 62.7% | 15.8% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 9.5% | 3.7% |
| Poorly drained | 1.9% | 2.2% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Not rated | 8.4% | 5.6% |
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 | Brazos County | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% | 1.4% |
| Somewhat limited | 2.1% | 16.7% |
| Very limited | 85.1% | 70.9% |
| Not rated | 12.7% | 11.0% |
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 | Brazos County | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 4.9% | 7.2% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 7.0% | 20.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 17.2% | 22.9% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 58.0% | 38.3% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.1% | 0.8% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 6.6% | 1.8% |
| Not rated | 6.2% | 8.8% |
Flooding
Show as a table
| Category | Brazos County | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| No flooding | 69.5% | 86.1% |
| Rare or very rare | 11.1% | 2.1% |
| Occasional | 0.0% | 3.4% |
| Frequent or very frequent | 14.0% | 4.6% |
| Not reported | 5.4% | 3.7% |
Seasonal high water table
Show as a table
| Category | Brazos County | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Within 18 inches at some time of year | 13.4% | 5.7% |
| 18 inches to 3.3 feet | 12.1% | 3.6% |
| Deeper than 3.3 feet or none reported | 74.5% | 89.0% |
| Not reported | 0.0% | 1.6% |
Topsoil pH and texture
First mineral layer of each soil
Typical topsoil pH is 6.2 (slightly acidic); 80% of rated land falls between 5.5 and 7.8. Median topsoil organic matter is 1.2%.
Show as a table
| Category | Brazos County | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly acidic (below 5.5) | 4.6% | 5.2% |
| Moderately to slightly acidic (5.5–6.4) | 41.9% | 9.8% |
| Near neutral (6.5–7.3) | 27.8% | 24.9% |
| Alkaline (7.4 and up) | 10.0% | 46.8% |
| Not reported | 15.8% | 13.3% |
Texture
Show as a table
| Category | Brazos County | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy | 17.4% | 14.6% |
| Loamy (loam, silt loam and similar) | 53.2% | 56.0% |
| Clayey (40%+ clay) | 13.5% | 15.9% |
| Organic (muck or peat) | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Not reported (rock, urban land, etc.) | 15.9% | 13.4% |
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
- Brazos County, Texas (FIPS 48041): 374,649 acres of mapped land, 3,457 acres of open water excluded. State comparisons pool all mapped land in Texas.
- 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.