Soil series profile
Brownsville soil series
Brownsville is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 301,458 acres in 29 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 77% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.8 very strongly acidic · range 4.7–5.1
- Mapped area
- 301k acres in 29 counties, 4 states
Typical Brownsville profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 in (H1) | Silt loam | 4.8 | 13% | 31% | 2% |
| 3–43 in (H2) | Very channery silt loam | 4.6 | 13% | 31% | 0.65% |
| 43–60 in (H3) | Extremely channery silt loam | 4.8 | 13% | 31% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Brownsville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Brownsville soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.8 (most land between 4.7 and 5.1). 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 mapped Brownsville acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is channery silt loam (62% of mapped Brownsville acres).
98% of mapped Brownsville acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
77% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 96% of the acres in mapped Brownsville soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (4% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Brownsville soil is found
Mapped acres
Brownsville is mapped in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Scioto County, OH | 58,627 | 15.0% |
| Licking County, OH | 50,522 | 11.5% |
| Lewis County, KY | 48,982 | 15.8% |
| Pike County, OH | 31,885 | 11.3% |
| Holmes County, OH | 16,105 | 6.0% |
| Coshocton County, OH | 15,003 | 4.2% |
| Jackson County, OH | 14,076 | 5.2% |
| Ross County, OH | 11,178 | 2.5% |
| Knox County, OH | 10,245 | 3.0% |
| Vinton County, OH | 10,110 | 3.8% |
| Preston County, WV | 8,360 | 2.5% |
| Fleming County, KY | 7,488 | 3.3% |
| Tucker County, WV | 6,941 | 3.0% |
| Bath County, KY | 3,201 | 1.8% |
| Randolph County, WV | 2,796 | 0.5% |
| Perry County, OH | 1,772 | 0.7% |
| Adams County, OH | 1,698 | 0.5% |
| Hocking County, OH | 765 | 0.3% |
| Lawrence County, OH | 739 | 0.3% |
| Ashland County, OH | 417 | 0.2% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 197 | 0.0% |
| Fairfield County, OH | 127 | 0.0% |
| Letcher County, KY | 60 | 0.0% |
| Richland County, OH | 51 | 0.0% |
| Wayne County, OH | 44 | 0.0% |
| Highland County, OH | 34 | 0.0% |
| Beaver County, PA | 32 | 0.0% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 4 | 0.0% |
| Gallia County, OH | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Brownsville acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 96.2% |
| Not rated | 3.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Brownsville 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 20–55% (median 33%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 98.2% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 1.8% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 77.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 19.2% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 | 3.8% |
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
- All map unit components named Brownsville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 301,458 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Brownsville components. The profile comes from the single largest Brownsville component. Full methodology.