Soil series profile
Genesee soil series
Genesee is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 264,333 acres in 72 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 88% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.0 neutral · range 7.0–7.5
- Mapped area
- 264k acres in 72 counties, 5 states
Typical Genesee profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 7.0 | 23% | 15% | 2.5% |
| 8–40 in (Bw) | Loam | 7.3 | 22% | 35% | 1.5% |
| 40–79 in (C) | Loam | 7.9 | 18% | 45% | 0.75% |
What this means
What Genesee soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Genesee soils is neutral: pH 7.0 (most land between 7.0 and 7.5), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Genesee acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (69% of mapped Genesee acres).
>99% of mapped Genesee 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 96% of the acres in mapped Genesee soils very limited, 3% 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.
Flooding is mapped on >99% of the acres (38% occasional, 58% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Genesee soil is found
Mapped acres
Genesee is mapped in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and New York. The 60 counties with the most Genesee acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Parke County, IN | 25,873 | 9.4% |
| Morgan County, IN | 19,785 | 7.7% |
| Hendricks County, IN | 12,207 | 4.7% |
| Vermillion County, IN | 11,137 | 7.0% |
| Johnson County, IN | 9,901 | 4.9% |
| Jackson County, IN | 9,136 | 2.8% |
| Warren County, OH | 8,626 | 3.4% |
| Vigo County, IN | 8,618 | 3.4% |
| Butler County, OH | 8,513 | 2.9% |
| Fayette County, IN | 8,493 | 6.2% |
| Pickaway County, OH | 8,115 | 2.5% |
| Sullivan County, IN | 7,218 | 2.6% |
| Wayne County, IN | 6,865 | 2.7% |
| Clermont County, OH | 6,634 | 2.3% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 6,506 | 1.4% |
| Bartholomew County, IN | 6,313 | 2.4% |
| Pike County, OH | 6,149 | 2.2% |
| Shelby County, IN | 5,954 | 2.3% |
| Fountain County, IN | 5,842 | 2.3% |
| Highland County, OH | 5,328 | 1.5% |
| Brown County, OH | 5,112 | 1.6% |
| Wabash County, IN | 4,534 | 1.7% |
| Rush County, IN | 4,480 | 1.7% |
| Union County, IN | 4,412 | 4.3% |
| Miami County, OH | 4,060 | 1.6% |
| Howard County, IN | 3,393 | 1.8% |
| Hamilton County, OH | 3,369 | 1.3% |
| Wyandot County, OH | 3,322 | 1.3% |
| Allen County, IN | 3,129 | 0.8% |
| Union County, OH | 2,528 | 0.9% |
| Franklin County, OH | 2,521 | 0.7% |
| Henry County, IN | 2,474 | 1.0% |
| Auglaize County, OH | 2,469 | 1.0% |
| Posey County, IN | 2,328 | 0.9% |
| Edgar County, IL | 2,315 | 0.6% |
| Huntington County, IN | 2,299 | 0.9% |
| Scioto County, OH | 2,248 | 0.6% |
| Champaign County, OH | 1,974 | 0.7% |
| Madison County, IN | 1,758 | 0.6% |
| Tompkins County, NY | 1,653 | 0.5% |
| Mercer County, OH | 1,595 | 0.5% |
| Putnam County, OH | 1,446 | 0.5% |
| Clinton County, IN | 1,410 | 0.5% |
| Hancock County, IN | 1,382 | 0.7% |
| Logan County, OH | 1,210 | 0.4% |
| Wood County, OH | 1,204 | 0.3% |
| Clark County, IL | 1,199 | 0.4% |
| Williams County, OH | 1,117 | 0.4% |
| Shelby County, OH | 1,080 | 0.4% |
| Ottawa County, OH | 998 | 0.6% |
| Fayette County, OH | 758 | 0.3% |
| Montgomery County, OH | 431 | 0.1% |
| Henry County, OH | 372 | 0.1% |
| Clay County, IN | 360 | 0.2% |
| Ross County, OH | 340 | 0.1% |
| Putnam County, IN | 324 | 0.1% |
| Ionia County, MI | 254 | 0.1% |
| Greene County, OH | 225 | 0.1% |
| Hamilton County, IN | 189 | 0.1% |
| Hardin County, OH | 161 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Genesee acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 3.4% |
| Very limited | 95.8% |
| Not rated | 0.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Genesee acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.9 feet (47 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on >99% of acres (38% occasional, 58% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 0–1% (median 0%).
- 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 | 99.3% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.7% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 1.1% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 88.2% |
| C: slow infiltration | 9.9% |
| 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 | 0.8% |
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 Genesee (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 264,333 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Genesee components. The profile comes from the single largest Genesee component. Full methodology.