Soil series profile
Emporia soil series
Emporia is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 560,366 acres in 38 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 59% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.3–5.8
- Mapped area
- 560k acres in 38 counties, 3 states
Typical Emporia profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–12 in (H1) | Sandy loam | 5.8 | 13% | 68% | 1.25% |
| 12–42 in (H2) | Loam | 5.3 | 25% | 45% | 0.25% |
| 42–62 in (H3) | Sandy clay loam | 4.7 | 22% | 60% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Emporia soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Emporia soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.3 and 5.8). 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 57% of mapped Emporia acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (40% of mapped Emporia acres).
100% of mapped Emporia acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 59% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 100% of the acres in mapped Emporia soils very limited, 0% 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 Emporia soil is found
Mapped acres
Emporia is mapped in Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| King and Queen County, VA | 65,914 | 39.7% |
| Halifax County, NC | 58,916 | 14.2% |
| Caroline County, VA | 49,675 | 15.7% |
| Southampton County, VA | 46,462 | 13.5% |
| Essex County, VA | 26,935 | 18.6% |
| Prince George County, VA | 26,101 | 18.2% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 24,814 | 5.2% |
| James City County, VA | 22,630 | 31.9% |
| Dinwiddie County, VA | 21,591 | 7.2% |
| Petersburg city, VA | 21,591 | 11.4% |
| Sussex County, VA | 21,103 | 8.2% |
| Allendale County, SC | 19,268 | 5.1% |
| Marlboro County, SC | 12,992 | 4.5% |
| Surry County, VA | 12,178 | 8.3% |
| Middlesex County, VA | 11,362 | 22.0% |
| New Kent County, VA | 10,009 | 9.2% |
| Anson County, NC | 9,968 | 3.3% |
| Gloucester County, VA | 9,940 | 7.8% |
| Richmond County, VA | 7,964 | 7.6% |
| Isle of Wight County, VA | 7,914 | 4.4% |
| Colonial Heights city, VA | 7,550 | 5.3% |
| York County, VA | 7,474 | 18.0% |
| Greensville County, VA | 7,406 | 4.7% |
| Darlington County, SC | 6,283 | 1.9% |
| Charles City County, VA | 6,236 | 6.4% |
| Brunswick County, VA | 5,670 | 1.7% |
| Horry County, SC | 5,530 | 0.8% |
| Hampton County, SC | 5,109 | 1.4% |
| Westmoreland County, VA | 4,533 | 3.9% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 3,988 | 1.8% |
| Hopewell city, VA | 3,034 | 28.1% |
| Williamsburg County, SC | 2,857 | 0.5% |
| Dorchester County, SC | 2,700 | 0.8% |
| Charleston County, SC | 2,189 | 0.4% |
| Suffolk city, VA | 1,764 | 0.8% |
| Williamsburg city, VA | 445 | 7.4% |
| Franklin city, VA | 266 | 12.2% |
| Fredericksburg city, VA | 6 | 0.2% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Emporia acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Emporia acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.4 feet (41 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–30% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
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 | 41.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 58.6% |
| 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 Emporia (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 560,366 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Emporia components. The profile comes from the single largest Emporia component. Full methodology.