Soil series profile
Chester soil series
Chester is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 297,184 acres in 20 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.3
- Mapped area
- 297k acres in 20 counties, 4 states
Typical Chester profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 22% | 23% | 3.25% |
| 10–17 in (BE) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 23% | 22% | 0.33% |
| 17–22 in (Bt1) | Clay loam | 5.4 | 31% | 22% | 0.16% |
| 22–30 in (Bt2) | Clay loam | 5.4 | 33% | 22% | 0.16% |
| 30–38 in (Bt3) | Clay loam | 5.4 | 34% | 23% | 0.16% |
| 38–56 in (Bt4) | Loam | 5.2 | 26% | 27% | 0.09% |
| 56–92 in (C) | Fine sandy loam | 4.8 | 10% | 54% | 0.08% |
What this means
What Chester soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Chester soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 5.0 and 5.3). 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 Chester acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (60% of mapped Chester acres).
100% of mapped Chester 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 82% of the acres in mapped Chester soils very limited, 18% 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 Chester soil is found
Mapped acres
Chester is mapped in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| York County, PA | 84,150 | 14.6% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 49,497 | 8.2% |
| Carroll County, VA | 34,588 | 12.8% |
| Harford County, MD | 32,164 | 11.7% |
| Alleghany County, NC | 29,879 | 23.8% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 26,174 | 6.9% |
| Philadelphia County, PA | 8,453 | 10.5% |
| Warren County, VA | 8,359 | 7.0% |
| Bucks County, PA | 4,935 | 1.3% |
| Chester County, PA | 4,474 | 0.9% |
| Rappahannock County, VA | 4,153 | 2.8% |
| Delaware County, PA | 3,591 | 2.5% |
| Greene County, VA | 2,773 | 3.3% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 2,139 | 0.9% |
| Madison County, VA | 1,178 | 0.7% |
| Baltimore city, MD | 504 | 1.0% |
| Cumberland County, PA | 83 | 0.0% |
| Montgomery County, PA | 76 | 0.0% |
| Adams County, PA | 13 | 0.0% |
| Perry County, PA | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Chester acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 18.0% |
| Very limited | 82.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Chester acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.9 feet (59 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 6–30% (median 8%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3.2%.
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 | 98.8% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 1.2% |
| 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 Chester (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 297,184 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Chester components. The profile comes from the single largest Chester component. Full methodology.