Soil series profile
Gladstone soil series
Gladstone is a well drained soil with a gravelly loam surface, mapped on 260,628 acres in 24 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 72% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.3 slightly acidic · range 5.3–6.3
- Mapped area
- 261k acres in 24 counties, 4 states
Typical Gladstone profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (Ap) | Gravelly loam | 6.3 | 16% | 40% | 3% |
| 10–22 in (Bt1) | Sandy clay loam | 5.5 | 21% | 54% | 0.25% |
| 22–37 in (Bt2) | Loam | 5.0 | 23% | 45% | 0.25% |
| 37–66 in (C) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 15% | 62% | 0% |
| 66–76 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Gladstone soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Gladstone soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.3 (most land between 5.3 and 6.3), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Gladstone acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly loam (89% of mapped Gladstone acres).
100% of mapped Gladstone acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
27% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 68% of the acres in mapped Gladstone soils very limited, 32% 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 Gladstone soil is found
Mapped acres
Gladstone is mapped in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Chester County, PA | 76,268 | 15.9% |
| Berks County, PA | 54,460 | 10.0% |
| Morris County, NJ | 26,820 | 9.1% |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 22,458 | 8.2% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 18,223 | 8.3% |
| Northampton County, PA | 14,971 | 6.3% |
| Howard County, MD | 14,404 | 9.0% |
| York County, PA | 5,396 | 0.9% |
| Warren County, NJ | 5,167 | 2.3% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 4,296 | 2.2% |
| Montgomery County, PA | 3,918 | 1.3% |
| Bucks County, PA | 3,857 | 1.0% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 2,542 | 0.4% |
| Carroll County, MD | 2,420 | 0.8% |
| Delaware County, PA | 1,530 | 1.1% |
| Harford County, MD | 1,530 | 0.6% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 907 | 0.4% |
| Baltimore County, MD | 552 | 0.1% |
| Frederick County, MD | 375 | 0.1% |
| Adams County, PA | 367 | 0.1% |
| Philadelphia County, PA | 107 | 0.1% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 59 | 0.0% |
| New Castle County, DE | 0 | 0.0% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Gladstone acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 32.0% |
| Very limited | 68.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Gladstone 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 6–20% (median 12%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
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) | 26.5% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 72.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 1.3% |
| 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 Gladstone (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 260,628 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Gladstone components. The profile comes from the single largest Gladstone component. Full methodology.