Soil series profile
Fox soil series
Fox is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 653,559 acres in 132 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 85% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · range 6.2–7.0
- Mapped area
- 654k acres in 132 counties, 5 states
Typical Fox profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–16 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 6.2 | 10% | 67% | 2% |
| 16–36 in (Bt) | Gravelly clay loam | 6.8 | 29% | 35% | 0.25% |
| 36–60 in (2C) | Very gravelly sand | 7.9 | 1% | 98% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Fox soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Fox soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 6.2 and 7.0), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 98% of mapped Fox acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (38% of mapped Fox acres).
>99% of mapped Fox 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 97% of the acres in mapped Fox soils very limited, <1% 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 Fox soil is found
Mapped acres
Fox is mapped in Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. The 60 counties with the most Fox acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Branch County, MI | 52,725 | 16.3% |
| Waukesha County, WI | 44,062 | 12.4% |
| Oakland County, MI | 34,641 | 6.3% |
| Hillsdale County, MI | 33,186 | 8.7% |
| Walworth County, WI | 32,566 | 9.2% |
| Livingston County, MI | 30,195 | 8.3% |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 29,883 | 6.6% |
| Champaign County, OH | 25,292 | 9.2% |
| Noble County, IN | 23,867 | 9.1% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 22,509 | 4.7% |
| Jefferson County, WI | 19,233 | 5.4% |
| Sheboygan County, WI | 16,361 | 5.0% |
| Fond du Lac County, WI | 14,445 | 3.1% |
| McHenry County, IL | 14,332 | 3.9% |
| Montgomery County, OH | 12,829 | 4.4% |
| Marion County, IN | 12,688 | 5.1% |
| Washington County, WI | 11,548 | 4.2% |
| Shelby County, IN | 11,435 | 4.4% |
| Racine County, WI | 11,356 | 5.3% |
| Ionia County, MI | 11,218 | 3.1% |
| Dodge County, WI | 10,206 | 1.8% |
| Madison County, IN | 9,505 | 3.3% |
| Kenosha County, WI | 9,291 | 5.4% |
| Bartholomew County, IN | 7,749 | 3.0% |
| Kane County, IL | 7,433 | 2.3% |
| Vermillion County, IN | 7,294 | 4.6% |
| Johnson County, IN | 6,217 | 3.1% |
| Miami County, IN | 5,738 | 2.4% |
| Warren County, OH | 5,256 | 2.1% |
| Parke County, IN | 5,048 | 1.8% |
| Fayette County, IN | 4,985 | 3.7% |
| Grant County, IN | 4,962 | 1.9% |
| Wabash County, IN | 4,953 | 1.9% |
| Knox County, OH | 4,950 | 1.5% |
| Green County, WI | 4,104 | 1.1% |
| Fayette County, OH | 4,039 | 1.6% |
| Ozaukee County, WI | 3,604 | 2.4% |
| Pike County, OH | 3,357 | 1.2% |
| Union County, OH | 3,335 | 1.2% |
| Hamilton County, IN | 3,175 | 1.3% |
| Lake County, IL | 3,016 | 1.1% |
| Fairfield County, OH | 3,004 | 0.9% |
| Randolph County, IN | 2,754 | 1.0% |
| Shiawassee County, MI | 2,612 | 0.8% |
| Lapeer County, MI | 2,578 | 0.6% |
| Cook County, IL | 2,490 | 0.4% |
| Morgan County, IN | 2,447 | 1.0% |
| Sauk County, WI | 2,424 | 0.5% |
| Licking County, OH | 2,313 | 0.5% |
| Kendall County, IL | 2,237 | 1.1% |
| DuPage County, IL | 2,191 | 1.0% |
| Delaware County, IN | 2,172 | 0.9% |
| Carroll County, IN | 2,166 | 0.9% |
| Highland County, OH | 2,064 | 0.6% |
| Ross County, OH | 2,014 | 0.5% |
| Milwaukee County, WI | 1,882 | 1.2% |
| LaSalle County, IL | 1,721 | 0.2% |
| Will County, IL | 1,625 | 0.3% |
| Hancock County, OH | 1,534 | 0.5% |
| Winnebago County, WI | 1,487 | 0.5% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Fox acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.1% |
| Very limited | 97.4% |
| Not rated | 2.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Fox acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.8 feet (69 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–9% (median 4%).
- 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 | 99.7% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.3% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 85.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 12.6% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 2.4% |
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 Fox (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 653,559 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Fox components. The profile comes from the single largest Fox component. Full methodology.