Soil series profile
Frederick soil series
Frederick is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 1,115,795 acres in 50 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 93% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.3–6.0
- Mapped area
- 1.1M acres in 50 counties, 5 states
Typical Frederick profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 5.3 | 22% | 21% | 1.5% |
| 10–16 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 5.3 | 38% | 17% | 0.5% |
| 16–70 in (Bt2) | Clay | 5.3 | 55% | 15% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Frederick soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Frederick soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.3 and 6.0). 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 99% of mapped Frederick acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (60% of mapped Frederick acres).
100% of mapped Frederick 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 54% of the acres in mapped Frederick soils very limited, 44% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (2% 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 Frederick soil is found
Mapped acres
Frederick is mapped in Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Green County, KY | 86,755 | 47.0% |
| Washington County, VA | 78,802 | 28.5% |
| Augusta County, VA | 77,777 | 15.4% |
| Rockbridge County, VA | 63,958 | 20.2% |
| Pulaski County, KY | 61,640 | 14.6% |
| Rockingham County, VA | 58,308 | 13.0% |
| Lee County, VA | 55,368 | 23.2% |
| Adair County, KY | 53,870 | 20.8% |
| Giles County, VA | 43,256 | 28.6% |
| Taylor County, KY | 41,972 | 24.3% |
| Tazewell County, VA | 41,652 | 14.3% |
| Botetourt County, VA | 40,824 | 17.4% |
| Smyth County, VA | 35,521 | 20.6% |
| Greenbrier County, WV | 33,529 | 6.3% |
| Wythe County, VA | 33,000 | 17.1% |
| Lawrence County, IN | 31,261 | 10.9% |
| Shenandoah County, VA | 27,783 | 13.6% |
| Wayne County, KY | 26,043 | 9.1% |
| Russell County, VA | 22,830 | 8.3% |
| Scott County, VA | 21,798 | 7.8% |
| Russell County, KY | 21,485 | 13.4% |
| Monroe County, WV | 19,013 | 6.8% |
| Hart County, KY | 18,076 | 6.8% |
| Casey County, KY | 17,132 | 6.0% |
| Frederick County, VA | 16,970 | 7.5% |
| Bland County, VA | 15,789 | 11.3% |
| Rockcastle County, KY | 10,741 | 5.3% |
| Clay County, TN | 10,080 | 6.6% |
| Roanoke County, VA | 8,034 | 6.5% |
| Monroe County, KY | 5,982 | 2.8% |
| Pulaski County, VA | 5,278 | 3.2% |
| Montgomery County, VA | 4,573 | 2.3% |
| Mercer County, WV | 4,174 | 1.9% |
| Orange County, IN | 3,902 | 1.5% |
| Metcalfe County, KY | 3,311 | 1.8% |
| Craig County, VA | 3,062 | 3.7% |
| Roanoke city, VA | 2,172 | 9.9% |
| Alleghany County, VA | 1,983 | 0.8% |
| Staunton city, VA | 1,327 | 26.3% |
| Highland County, VA | 1,154 | 0.5% |
| Bath County, VA | 1,014 | 0.3% |
| Winchester city, VA | 967 | 17.4% |
| Bristol city, VA | 833 | 13.9% |
| Waynesboro city, VA | 401 | 9.0% |
| Summers County, WV | 260 | 0.1% |
| Marion County, KY | 76 | 0.0% |
| Wise County, VA | 49 | 0.0% |
| Salem city, VA | 47 | 0.7% |
| Covington city, VA | 14 | 0.6% |
| Clifton Forge City County, VA | 2 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Frederick acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 44.3% |
| Very limited | 54.2% |
| Not rated | 1.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Frederick 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 9–30% (median 16%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.5%.
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 | 93.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 5.1% |
| 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 | 1.5% |
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 Frederick (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,115,795 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Frederick components. The profile comes from the single largest Frederick component. Full methodology.