Soil series profile
Chili soil series
Chili is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 248,808 acres in 37 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 97% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 65% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.7 moderately acidic · range 5.0–5.9
- Mapped area
- 249k acres in 37 counties, 2 states
Typical Chili profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (H1) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 12% | 32% | 2% |
| 9–19 in (H2) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 23% | 22% | 0.75% |
| 19–36 in (H3) | Gravelly sandy loam | 5.3 | 12% | 66% | 0.35% |
| 36–60 in (H4) | Loamy coarse sand | 5.3 | 6% | 84% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Chili soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Chili soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.7 (most land between 5.0 and 5.9). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 97% of mapped Chili acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (51% of mapped Chili acres).
97% of mapped Chili acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
32% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 97% of the acres in mapped Chili soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (3% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Chili soil is found
Mapped acres
Chili is mapped in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Stark County, OH | 53,811 | 14.6% |
| Portage County, OH | 30,968 | 9.8% |
| Holmes County, OH | 16,800 | 6.2% |
| Wayne County, OH | 15,940 | 4.5% |
| Ashland County, OH | 13,213 | 4.9% |
| Knox County, OH | 13,174 | 3.9% |
| Trumbull County, OH | 12,070 | 3.1% |
| Mahoning County, OH | 11,639 | 4.4% |
| Geauga County, OH | 10,941 | 4.2% |
| Tuscarawas County, OH | 8,563 | 2.4% |
| Huron County, OH | 8,348 | 2.6% |
| Lawrence County, PA | 6,926 | 3.0% |
| Medina County, OH | 6,294 | 2.3% |
| Richland County, OH | 5,634 | 1.8% |
| Columbiana County, OH | 5,489 | 1.6% |
| Morrow County, OH | 3,554 | 1.4% |
| Coshocton County, OH | 3,523 | 1.0% |
| Lorain County, OH | 3,231 | 1.0% |
| Carroll County, OH | 3,166 | 1.3% |
| Licking County, OH | 3,128 | 0.7% |
| Muskingum County, OH | 3,101 | 0.7% |
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 2,416 | 0.8% |
| Crawford County, OH | 2,106 | 0.8% |
| Washington County, OH | 1,203 | 0.3% |
| Hocking County, OH | 703 | 0.3% |
| Summit County, OH | 697 | 0.3% |
| Belmont County, OH | 491 | 0.1% |
| Erie County, OH | 485 | 0.3% |
| Beaver County, PA | 408 | 0.1% |
| Sandusky County, OH | 230 | 0.1% |
| Brown County, OH | 210 | 0.1% |
| Mercer County, PA | 187 | 0.0% |
| Pickaway County, OH | 73 | 0.0% |
| Morgan County, OH | 43 | 0.0% |
| Wyandot County, OH | 43 | 0.0% |
| Marion County, OH | 2 | 0.0% |
| Seneca County, OH | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Chili acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 97.1% |
| Not rated | 2.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Chili 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 3–15% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 97.4% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 2.6% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 32.3% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 64.5% |
| 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 | 3.1% |
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 Chili (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 248,808 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Chili components. The profile comes from the single largest Chili component. Full methodology.