Soil series profile
Bucks soil series
Bucks is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 62,128 acres in 11 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 94% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 4.8–5.4
- Mapped area
- 62k acres in 11 counties, 4 states
Typical Bucks profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 5.4 | 18% | 29% | 2.25% |
| 6–30 in (Bt) | Silty clay loam | 5.0 | 28% | 18% | 0.35% |
| 30–52 in (C) | Very gravelly silty clay loam | 5.0 | 28% | 18% | 0.15% |
| 52–56 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Bucks soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Bucks soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 4.8 and 5.4). 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 100% of mapped Bucks acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (>99% of mapped Bucks acres).
100% of mapped Bucks 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 8% of the acres in mapped Bucks soils very limited, 92% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Bucks soil is found
Mapped acres
Bucks is mapped in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County, PA | 20,307 | 3.4% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 13,173 | 9.3% |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 11,826 | 4.3% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 5,653 | 2.9% |
| Orange County, VA | 3,673 | 2.0% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 2,565 | 0.8% |
| Carroll County, MD | 2,324 | 0.8% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 2,044 | 0.9% |
| Madison County, VA | 455 | 0.3% |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 108 | 0.1% |
| Morris County, NJ | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Bucks acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 91.9% |
| Very limited | 8.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Bucks acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.4 feet (53 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–12% (median 6%).
- 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 | 94.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 5.9% |
| 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% |
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 Bucks (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 62,128 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Bucks components. The profile comes from the single largest Bucks component. Full methodology.