Soil series profile
Gloucester soil series
Gloucester is a somewhat excessively drained soil with a extremely stony fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 97,271 acres in 25 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Somewhat excessively drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 96% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.8 very strongly acidic · range 4.3–4.8
- Mapped area
- 97k acres in 25 counties, 4 states
Typical Gloucester profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–14 in (H1) | Extremely stony fine sandy loam | 4.8 | 5% | 65% | 1.35% |
| 14–28 in (H2) | Very gravelly loamy sand | 4.8 | 5% | 80% | 0.25% |
| 28–40 in (H3) | Very gravelly coarse sand | 4.8 | 3% | 90% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Gloucester soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Gloucester soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.8 (most land between 4.3 and 4.8). 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 88% of mapped Gloucester acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is very stony fine sandy loam (29% of mapped Gloucester acres).
100% of mapped Gloucester acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
96% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Gloucester soils very limited, 0% 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 Gloucester soil is found
Mapped acres
Gloucester is mapped in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Strafford County, NH | 48,907 | 20.5% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 6,835 | 2.0% |
| Washington County, RI | 6,536 | 3.0% |
| Litchfield County, CT | 4,962 | 0.8% |
| Windham County, CT | 4,795 | 1.5% |
| Hampden County, MA | 4,580 | 1.2% |
| Franklin County, MA | 3,966 | 0.9% |
| Providence County, RI | 3,419 | 1.3% |
| Tolland County, CT | 2,798 | 1.1% |
| Hartford County, CT | 2,620 | 0.6% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 2,607 | 0.6% |
| Bristol County, MA | 2,115 | 0.6% |
| Middlesex County, CT | 1,094 | 0.5% |
| Kent County, RI | 689 | 0.6% |
| Rockingham County, NH | 371 | 0.1% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 308 | 0.1% |
| Essex County, MA | 183 | 0.1% |
| Newport County, RI | 150 | 0.2% |
| Worcester County, MA | 99 | 0.0% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 88 | 0.0% |
| New Haven County, CT | 56 | 0.0% |
| New London County, CT | 33 | 0.0% |
| Fairfield County, CT | 29 | 0.0% |
| Bristol County, RI | 29 | 0.2% |
| Belknap County, NH | 2 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Gloucester acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Gloucester 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 1.4%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 100.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| 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) | 96.1% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 3.9% |
| 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% |
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 Gloucester (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 97,271 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Gloucester components. The profile comes from the single largest Gloucester component. Full methodology.