Soil series profile
Clifford soil series
Clifford is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 1,216,080 acres in 27 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 92% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 4.8–6.3
- Mapped area
- 1.2M acres in 27 counties, 2 states
Typical Clifford profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (A) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 9% | 55% | 1.5% |
| 7–54 in (Bt) | Clay | 5.3 | 48% | 34% | 0.25% |
| 54–62 in (BC) | Clay loam | 5.3 | 30% | 41% | 0.1% |
| 62–82 in (C) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 12% | 58% | 0.05% |
What this means
What Clifford soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Clifford soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 4.8 and 6.3). 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 97% of mapped Clifford acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (43% of mapped Clifford acres).
100% of mapped Clifford 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 32% of the acres in mapped Clifford soils very limited, 68% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Clifford soil is found
Mapped acres
Clifford is mapped in Virginia and North Carolina.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, VA | 228,765 | 57.2% |
| Pittsylvania County, VA | 194,066 | 34.9% |
| Henry County, VA | 140,777 | 63.3% |
| Halifax County, VA | 125,339 | 27.0% |
| Amherst County, VA | 87,371 | 31.8% |
| Bedford County, VA | 82,355 | 22.1% |
| Yadkin County, NC | 79,763 | 39.8% |
| Rockingham County, NC | 74,636 | 22.1% |
| Catawba County, NC | 38,774 | 16.4% |
| Guilford County, NC | 36,281 | 9.7% |
| Iredell County, NC | 32,128 | 9.2% |
| Forsyth County, NC | 30,595 | 13.0% |
| Alexander County, NC | 14,096 | 8.6% |
| Stokes County, NC | 10,544 | 3.9% |
| Davie County, NC | 9,698 | 6.2% |
| Surry County, NC | 6,829 | 2.1% |
| Culpeper County, VA | 5,093 | 2.5% |
| Cumberland County, VA | 4,878 | 3.0% |
| Danville city, VA | 3,364 | 34.2% |
| Orange County, VA | 1,982 | 1.1% |
| Patrick County, VA | 1,616 | 0.6% |
| Martinsville city, VA | 1,608 | 25.2% |
| Davidson County, NC | 1,536 | 0.5% |
| Bedford City County, VA | 1,427 | 38.7% |
| South Boston City County, VA | 1,409 | 44.7% |
| Carroll County, VA | 977 | 0.4% |
| Person County, NC | 176 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Clifford acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 67.8% |
| Very limited | 32.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Clifford 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 4–20% (median 11%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1%.
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 Clifford (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,216,080 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Clifford components. The profile comes from the single largest Clifford component. Full methodology.