Soil series profile
Faywood soil series
Faywood is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 766,195 acres in 71 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 71% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.5 slightly acidic · range 6.5–6.5
- Mapped area
- 766k acres in 71 counties, 5 states
Typical Faywood profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.5 | 13% | 15% | 2.5% |
| 7–29 in (Bt) | Silty clay | 6.5 | 48% | 3% | 0.25% |
| 29–39 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Faywood soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Faywood soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.5, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 88% of mapped Faywood acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (59% of mapped Faywood acres).
>99% of mapped Faywood acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 92% 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 92% of the acres in mapped Faywood soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (8% 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 Faywood soil is found
Mapped acres
Faywood is mapped in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. The 60 counties with the most Faywood acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Bourbon County, KY | 44,720 | 24.3% |
| Harrison County, KY | 40,060 | 20.4% |
| Shelby County, KY | 35,691 | 14.5% |
| Henry County, KY | 35,466 | 19.1% |
| Adams County, OH | 34,871 | 9.3% |
| Spencer County, KY | 32,299 | 27.1% |
| Anderson County, KY | 31,964 | 24.7% |
| Washington County, KY | 25,740 | 13.4% |
| Kenton County, KY | 24,335 | 23.5% |
| Nicholas County, KY | 23,406 | 18.8% |
| Montgomery County, KY | 23,357 | 18.4% |
| Garrard County, KY | 22,490 | 15.2% |
| Madison County, KY | 21,646 | 7.7% |
| Marion County, KY | 21,597 | 9.7% |
| Boone County, KY | 21,161 | 13.5% |
| Franklin County, KY | 20,693 | 15.4% |
| Mason County, KY | 19,342 | 12.5% |
| Fleming County, KY | 17,989 | 8.0% |
| Bath County, KY | 17,855 | 10.0% |
| Lincoln County, KY | 15,660 | 7.3% |
| Brown County, OH | 12,921 | 4.1% |
| Woodford County, KY | 12,855 | 10.6% |
| Nelson County, KY | 12,162 | 4.5% |
| Grant County, KY | 11,925 | 7.2% |
| Clark County, KY | 11,888 | 7.3% |
| Campbell County, KY | 11,573 | 12.1% |
| Scott County, KY | 11,551 | 6.4% |
| Owen County, KY | 11,457 | 5.1% |
| Mercer County, KY | 11,419 | 7.2% |
| Jessamine County, KY | 8,606 | 7.8% |
| Pendleton County, KY | 8,279 | 4.6% |
| Cumberland County, KY | 7,432 | 3.8% |
| Jefferson County, KY | 7,414 | 3.0% |
| Bracken County, KY | 7,030 | 5.5% |
| Casey County, KY | 6,551 | 2.3% |
| Fayette County, KY | 6,123 | 3.4% |
| Oldham County, KY | 6,118 | 5.0% |
| Trimble County, KY | 5,970 | 6.3% |
| Boyle County, KY | 5,736 | 5.0% |
| Rockcastle County, KY | 5,209 | 2.6% |
| Jackson County, KY | 5,078 | 2.3% |
| Robertson County, KY | 4,606 | 7.2% |
| Bullitt County, KY | 4,471 | 2.3% |
| Caldwell County, KY | 3,777 | 1.7% |
| Clay County, TN | 3,239 | 2.1% |
| Pocahontas County, WV | 3,140 | 0.6% |
| Highland County, VA | 3,007 | 1.3% |
| Livingston County, KY | 2,877 | 1.5% |
| Lewis County, KY | 2,641 | 0.9% |
| Estill County, KY | 2,598 | 1.6% |
| Gallatin County, KY | 2,340 | 3.7% |
| Pulaski County, VA | 2,062 | 1.2% |
| Alleghany County, VA | 1,917 | 0.8% |
| Crittenden County, KY | 1,709 | 0.7% |
| Powell County, KY | 1,457 | 1.3% |
| Carroll County, KY | 1,299 | 1.6% |
| Harrison County, WV | 1,294 | 0.6% |
| Overton County, TN | 1,279 | 0.5% |
| Russell County, KY | 1,162 | 0.7% |
| Bath County, VA | 1,130 | 0.4% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Faywood acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 92.4% |
| Not rated | 7.6% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Faywood 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 9–25% (median 16%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.5%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.6% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 71.2% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 21.2% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 7.6% |
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 Faywood (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 766,195 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Faywood components. The profile comes from the single largest Faywood component. Full methodology.