Soil series profile
Baxter soil series
Baxter is a well drained soil with a gravelly silt loam surface, mapped on 644,129 acres in 50 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 97% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.3–5.5
- Mapped area
- 644k acres in 50 counties, 6 states
Typical Baxter profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (Ap) | Gravelly silt loam | 5.5 | 19% | 22% | 3% |
| 9–16 in (Bt1) | Gravelly silty clay loam | 5.5 | 35% | 12% | 0.4% |
| 16–75 in (Bt2) | Gravelly clay | 5.0 | 50% | 15% | 0.25% |
| 75–98 in (C) | Gravelly clay | 5.0 | 50% | 15% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Baxter soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Baxter soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 5.3 and 5.5). 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 97% of mapped Baxter acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly silt loam (71% of mapped Baxter acres).
100% of mapped Baxter acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
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 46% of the acres in mapped Baxter soils very limited, 52% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (3% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Baxter soil is found
Mapped acres
Baxter is mapped in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Barren County, KY | 86,133 | 27.6% |
| Warren County, KY | 77,716 | 22.4% |
| Metcalfe County, KY | 54,509 | 29.3% |
| Simpson County, KY | 37,456 | 24.8% |
| Meade County, KY | 36,580 | 18.7% |
| Trigg County, KY | 35,953 | 13.3% |
| Franklin County, TN | 30,194 | 8.7% |
| Montgomery County, TN | 28,181 | 8.2% |
| Hart County, KY | 28,072 | 10.6% |
| Williamson County, TN | 27,168 | 7.3% |
| Houston County, TN | 26,640 | 20.8% |
| Lyon County, KY | 21,807 | 16.3% |
| Robertson County, TN | 20,439 | 6.7% |
| Washington County, AR | 13,530 | 2.2% |
| Limestone County, AL | 11,895 | 3.7% |
| Madison County, AL | 11,623 | 2.6% |
| Christian County, KY | 11,346 | 2.5% |
| Logan County, KY | 8,979 | 2.5% |
| Warren County, TN | 7,427 | 2.7% |
| Pickett County, TN | 7,382 | 6.8% |
| Pulaski County, KY | 6,898 | 1.6% |
| Maury County, TN | 5,879 | 1.5% |
| Edmonson County, KY | 5,694 | 2.9% |
| Lawrence County, TN | 5,156 | 1.3% |
| Caldwell County, KY | 4,949 | 2.2% |
| Hardin County, IL | 4,844 | 4.7% |
| Humphreys County, TN | 3,556 | 1.1% |
| Coffee County, TN | 3,501 | 1.3% |
| Putnam County, TN | 3,363 | 1.3% |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 2,845 | 0.8% |
| Wayne County, KY | 2,432 | 0.9% |
| Dent County, MO | 2,172 | 0.5% |
| Nelson County, KY | 1,886 | 0.7% |
| Fentress County, TN | 1,334 | 0.4% |
| Todd County, KY | 1,240 | 0.5% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 1,136 | 0.3% |
| Grayson County, KY | 1,108 | 0.3% |
| Livingston County, KY | 996 | 0.5% |
| Union County, IL | 695 | 0.3% |
| Monroe County, KY | 441 | 0.2% |
| Rockcastle County, KY | 297 | 0.1% |
| Allen County, KY | 177 | 0.1% |
| Butler County, KY | 164 | 0.1% |
| Pope County, IL | 109 | 0.1% |
| Stewart County, TN | 75 | 0.0% |
| Pulaski County, IL | 55 | 0.0% |
| Crittenden County, KY | 52 | 0.0% |
| Cumberland County, KY | 26 | 0.0% |
| White County, TN | 21 | 0.0% |
| Carter County, MO | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Baxter acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 51.8% |
| Very limited | 45.6% |
| Not rated | 2.6% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Baxter acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 9–25% (median 10%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 100.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 96.5% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.9% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 2.6% |
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
- All map unit components named Baxter (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 644,129 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Baxter components. The profile comes from the single largest Baxter component. Full methodology.