Soil series profile

Crofton soil series

Crofton is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 819,771 acres in 32 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.

#253 by mapped area fine-silty Udic Ustorthents (Entisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 8.0
Mapped area: 820k

Typical Crofton 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 Crofton horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–6 in (Ap)	Silt loam	8.0	25%	12%	2%
6–14 in (AC)	Silt loam	8.0	25%	8%	0.5%
14–79 in (C)	Silt loam	8.2	24%	10%	0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Crofton map unit (Crofton-Nora complex, 6 to 11 percent slopes, eroded, survey area NE107). 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 Crofton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Crofton soils is moderately alkaline: pH 8.0 (most land between 7.7 and 8.0). Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Crofton acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (100% of mapped Crofton acres).

100% of mapped Crofton 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 19% of the acres in mapped Crofton soils very limited, 81% 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.

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

Where Crofton soil is found

Mapped acres

Crofton is mapped in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota.

Counties with the most mapped Crofton soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Knox County, NE	112,444	15.9%
Cedar County, NE	81,991	17.3%
Dixon County, NE	60,705	20.0%
Stanton County, NE	59,033	21.6%
Platte County, NE	58,397	13.5%
Boone County, NE	56,615	12.9%
Madison County, NE	47,607	13.0%
Antelope County, NE	41,905	7.8%
Union County, SD	36,486	12.4%
Colfax County, NE	33,543	12.7%
Dakota County, NE	31,352	18.6%
Minnehaha County, SD	30,370	5.9%
Pierce County, NE	25,171	6.9%
Wayne County, NE	24,729	8.7%
Thurston County, NE	20,855	8.3%
Cuming County, NE	19,597	5.4%
Nance County, NE	19,425	6.9%
Lyon County, IA	11,217	3.0%
Butler County, NE	10,167	2.7%
Lincoln County, SD	7,268	2.0%
Burt County, NE	7,161	2.3%
Dodge County, NE	4,989	1.5%
Washington County, NE	4,618	1.8%
Sioux County, IA	3,153	0.6%
Boyd County, NE	3,058	0.9%
Rock County, MN	2,830	0.9%
Moody County, SD	2,053	0.6%
Yankton County, SD	1,592	0.5%
Bon Homme County, SD	853	0.2%
Pipestone County, MN	346	0.1%
Lake County, SD	213	0.1%
Holt County, NE	26	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Crofton acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 81%

Very limited 19%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Crofton acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	80.8%
Very limited	19.2%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Crofton 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 8–23% (median 9%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained <1%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained >99%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

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

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Drainage class across mapped Crofton acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.1%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	99.9%
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 100%

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%

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

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Crofton acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	100.0%
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 Crofton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 819,771 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Crofton components. The profile comes from the single largest Crofton component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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