Soil series profile
Charlton soil series
Charlton is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 947,919 acres in 52 counties across 7 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 83% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.8 very strongly acidic · range 4.8–5.5
- Mapped area
- 948k acres in 52 counties, 7 states
Typical Charlton profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 in (Oe) | Moderately decomposed plant material | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 95% |
| 2–4 in (A) | Fine sandy loam | 4.8 | 9% | 57% | 10% |
| 4–27 in (Bw) | Gravelly fine sandy loam | 4.8 | 8% | 56% | 1.5% |
| 27–65 in (C) | Gravelly fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 10% | 59% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Charlton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Charlton soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.8 (most land between 4.8 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 99% of mapped Charlton acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (92% of mapped Charlton acres).
>99% of mapped Charlton 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 40% of the acres in mapped Charlton soils very limited, 59% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (2% 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 Charlton soil is found
Mapped acres
Charlton is mapped in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New Jersey.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Litchfield County, CT | 74,807 | 12.8% |
| New London County, CT | 65,231 | 14.9% |
| Fairfield County, CT | 62,278 | 15.2% |
| Westchester County, NY | 61,220 | 23.1% |
| Androscoggin County, ME | 48,297 | 15.9% |
| Worcester County, MA | 48,114 | 5.0% |
| New Haven County, CT | 41,273 | 10.5% |
| Putnam County, NY | 39,142 | 26.6% |
| Windham County, CT | 38,843 | 11.9% |
| Middlesex County, CT | 36,404 | 15.1% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 35,665 | 6.8% |
| Tolland County, CT | 34,511 | 13.2% |
| Washington County, NY | 31,902 | 6.0% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 30,311 | 5.9% |
| Providence County, RI | 29,135 | 10.7% |
| Strafford County, NH | 21,962 | 9.2% |
| Hartford County, CT | 20,664 | 4.4% |
| Dutchess County, NY | 19,466 | 3.8% |
| Kennebec County, ME | 19,353 | 3.5% |
| Lewis County, NY | 17,604 | 2.2% |
| Washington County, RI | 17,507 | 8.0% |
| Hampden County, MA | 17,101 | 4.4% |
| Essex County, MA | 16,976 | 5.4% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 16,576 | 4.7% |
| Bristol County, MA | 13,002 | 3.6% |
| Kent County, RI | 12,142 | 10.4% |
| Rockland County, NY | 10,651 | 9.6% |
| Franklin County, MA | 10,616 | 2.4% |
| Sagadahoc County, ME | 9,477 | 5.9% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 8,278 | 5.9% |
| Suffolk County, MA | 8,278 | 5.9% |
| Fulton County, NY | 5,118 | 1.6% |
| Grafton County, NH | 4,674 | 0.6% |
| Rockingham County, NH | 4,658 | 1.0% |
| Orange County, NY | 3,555 | 0.7% |
| Essex County, NY | 2,673 | 0.2% |
| Warren County, NY | 2,615 | 0.5% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 2,553 | 0.5% |
| Newport County, RI | 1,422 | 2.1% |
| Queens County, NY | 1,012 | 1.4% |
| Bronx County, NY | 537 | 2.0% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 471 | 0.1% |
| Nassau County, NY | 434 | 0.2% |
| Bristol County, RI | 352 | 2.1% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 350 | 0.1% |
| Suffolk County, NY | 315 | 0.1% |
| Kings County, NY | 182 | 0.4% |
| Jefferson County, NY | 89 | 0.0% |
| New York County, NY | 79 | 0.6% |
| Richmond County, NY | 21 | 0.1% |
| Passaic County, NJ | 16 | 0.0% |
| Belknap County, NH | 8 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Charlton acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 58.6% |
| Very limited | 40.0% |
| Not rated | 1.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Charlton 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 6–30% (median 10%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.4% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.6% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 15.8% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 82.8% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 1.5% |
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 Charlton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 947,919 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Charlton components. The profile comes from the single largest Charlton component. Full methodology.