Soil series profile
Canton soil series
Canton is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 659,584 acres in 39 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 92% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.3 extremely acidic · range 4.3–4.8
- Mapped area
- 660k acres in 39 counties, 5 states
Typical Canton profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 in (Oi) | Slightly decomposed plant material | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 95% |
| 2–5 in (A) | Fine sandy loam | 4.3 | 7% | 61% | 7.75% |
| 5–16 in (Bw1) | Fine sandy loam | 4.8 | 6% | 63% | 0.57% |
| 16–22 in (Bw2) | Gravelly fine sandy loam | 4.8 | 2% | 66% | 0.43% |
| 22–67 in (2C) | Gravelly loamy sand | 5.0 | 2% | 79% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Canton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Canton soils is extremely acidic: pH 4.3 (most land between 4.3 and 4.8). 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 >99% of mapped Canton acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (95% of mapped Canton acres).
100% of mapped Canton 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 100% of the acres in mapped Canton soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
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 Canton soil is found
Mapped acres
Canton is mapped in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and New York.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Rockingham County, NH | 79,641 | 17.7% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 69,381 | 12.5% |
| Worcester County, MA | 66,305 | 6.9% |
| Litchfield County, CT | 53,346 | 9.1% |
| Providence County, RI | 50,156 | 18.5% |
| New London County, CT | 37,217 | 8.5% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 32,086 | 6.1% |
| Tolland County, CT | 28,577 | 10.9% |
| Franklin County, MA | 26,400 | 5.9% |
| Windham County, CT | 25,552 | 7.8% |
| Washington County, RI | 24,094 | 11.1% |
| Fairfield County, CT | 23,371 | 5.7% |
| Essex County, MA | 21,515 | 6.8% |
| Kent County, RI | 17,360 | 14.9% |
| New Haven County, CT | 15,746 | 4.0% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 12,978 | 3.1% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 12,856 | 9.2% |
| Suffolk County, MA | 12,856 | 9.2% |
| Middlesex County, CT | 12,116 | 5.0% |
| Hartford County, CT | 11,749 | 2.5% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 9,710 | 1.6% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 6,024 | 1.7% |
| Hampden County, MA | 5,745 | 1.5% |
| Newport County, RI | 2,491 | 3.7% |
| Dukes County, MA | 593 | 0.9% |
| Bristol County, RI | 564 | 3.3% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 267 | 0.1% |
| Westchester County, NY | 227 | 0.1% |
| Belknap County, NH | 196 | 0.1% |
| Dutchess County, NY | 115 | 0.0% |
| Putnam County, NY | 105 | 0.1% |
| Strafford County, NH | 85 | 0.0% |
| Bristol County, MA | 42 | 0.0% |
| Fulton County, NY | 39 | 0.0% |
| Warren County, NY | 21 | 0.0% |
| Rockland County, NY | 19 | 0.0% |
| Grafton County, NH | 16 | 0.0% |
| Essex County, NY | 16 | 0.0% |
| Orange County, NY | 5 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Canton acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Canton 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 5–25% (median 10%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 7.8%.
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) | 8.2% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 91.8% |
| 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% |
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 Canton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 659,584 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Canton components. The profile comes from the single largest Canton component. Full methodology.