Soil series profile

Carey soil series

Carey is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 576,450 acres in 34 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.

#455 by mapped area fine-silty Typic Argiustolls (Mollisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 7.2
Mapped area: 576k

Typical Carey profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Carey horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–14 in (Ap)	Silt loam	7.2	7%	24%	2%
14–36 in (Bt)	Silty clay loam	7.5	30%	10%	0.3%
36–50 in (Bk)	Loam	8.2	15%	41%	0.3%
50–80 in (Cd)	Very fine sandy loam	7.9	14%	63%	0.15%

Representative values from the most extensive Carey map unit (Carey silt loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes, survey area OK039). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Carey soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Carey soils is neutral: pH 7.2, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 83% of mapped Carey acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (59% of mapped Carey acres).

100% of mapped Carey 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 0% of the acres in mapped Carey soils very limited, 83% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (17% 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Carey soil is found

Mapped acres

Carey is mapped in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas.

Counties with the most mapped Carey soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Custer County, OK	81,180	12.8%
Washita County, OK	77,528	12.1%
Dewey County, OK	60,801	9.5%
Woodward County, OK	45,926	5.6%
Clark County, KS	39,056	6.3%
Childress County, TX	38,452	8.4%
King County, TX	34,817	6.0%
Comanche County, KS	26,729	5.3%
Kiowa County, OK	26,277	4.0%
Hall County, TX	24,787	4.3%
Collingsworth County, TX	21,843	3.7%
Beckham County, OK	14,768	2.6%
Roger Mills County, OK	14,428	2.0%
Cottle County, TX	13,924	2.4%
Wheeler County, TX	11,257	1.9%
Major County, OK	10,176	1.7%
Barber County, KS	6,819	0.9%
Donley County, TX	5,851	1.0%
Ellis County, OK	5,524	0.7%
Dickens County, TX	4,139	0.7%
Harper County, OK	3,891	0.6%
Harmon County, OK	2,152	0.6%
Fisher County, TX	1,606	0.3%
Nolan County, TX	1,337	0.2%
Blaine County, OK	909	0.2%
Motley County, TX	668	0.1%
Greer County, OK	446	0.1%
Armstrong County, TX	413	0.1%
Caddo County, OK	328	0.0%
Scurry County, TX	159	0.0%
Woods County, OK	146	0.0%
Floyd County, TX	72	0.0%
Beaver County, OK	26	0.0%
Comanche County, OK	15	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Carey acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 83%

Very limited 0%

Not rated 17%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Carey acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Carey acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	83.2%
Very limited	0.0%
Not rated	16.8%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Carey 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 2–7% (median 2%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 100%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Drainage class across mapped Carey acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Carey acres.
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

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%

B: moderate infiltration 83%

C: slow infiltration 0%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Not rated 17%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Carey acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Carey acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	83.2%
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	16.8%

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 Carey (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 576,450 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Carey components. The profile comes from the single largest Carey component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Carey.