Soil series profile
Hagerstown soil series
Hagerstown is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 571,821 acres in 64 counties across 7 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 92% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.0 moderately acidic · range 5.5–6.2
- Mapped area
- 572k acres in 64 counties, 7 states
Typical Hagerstown profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.0 | 21% | 15% | 3% |
| 7–21 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 6.0 | 37% | 17% | 0.47% |
| 21–34 in (Bt2) | Silty clay | 5.7 | 55% | 4% | 0.3% |
| 34–60 in (C) | Silty clay loam | 6.8 | 38% | 9% | 0.3% |
What this means
What Hagerstown soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Hagerstown soils is moderately acidic: pH 6.0 (most land between 5.5 and 6.2). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 99% of mapped Hagerstown acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (75% of mapped Hagerstown acres).
100% of mapped Hagerstown 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 19% of the acres in mapped Hagerstown soils very limited, 80% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (1% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Hagerstown soil is found
Mapped acres
Hagerstown is mapped in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee. The 60 counties with the most Hagerstown acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County, PA | 67,564 | 11.2% |
| Franklin County, PA | 64,356 | 13.1% |
| Cumberland County, PA | 63,763 | 18.6% |
| Washington County, MD | 50,908 | 17.5% |
| Centre County, PA | 47,260 | 6.8% |
| Berkeley County, WV | 29,905 | 17.0% |
| Washington County, VA | 21,995 | 7.9% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 21,388 | 9.4% |
| Jefferson County, WV | 21,057 | 20.2% |
| Hardin County, KY | 20,430 | 5.1% |
| Mifflin County, PA | 18,961 | 7.3% |
| Bedford County, PA | 18,836 | 3.0% |
| Clinton County, PA | 13,225 | 2.3% |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 12,685 | 2.3% |
| Wythe County, VA | 11,877 | 6.2% |
| Dauphin County, PA | 8,953 | 2.8% |
| Frederick County, MD | 7,151 | 1.7% |
| Monroe County, IN | 5,640 | 2.2% |
| Larue County, KY | 5,447 | 3.2% |
| Hart County, KY | 4,904 | 1.9% |
| Oldham County, KY | 4,641 | 3.8% |
| Fulton County, PA | 4,434 | 1.6% |
| Union County, PA | 3,965 | 2.0% |
| Blair County, PA | 3,776 | 1.2% |
| Northumberland County, PA | 2,839 | 1.0% |
| Clarke County, VA | 2,741 | 3.1% |
| Lewis County, KY | 2,670 | 0.9% |
| Montour County, PA | 2,636 | 3.2% |
| Lycoming County, PA | 2,544 | 0.3% |
| Bullitt County, KY | 2,364 | 1.2% |
| York County, PA | 2,166 | 0.4% |
| Nelson County, KY | 2,152 | 0.8% |
| Perry County, PA | 2,142 | 0.6% |
| Madison County, KY | 2,100 | 0.7% |
| Rockcastle County, KY | 1,943 | 1.0% |
| Snyder County, PA | 1,748 | 0.8% |
| Lincoln County, KY | 1,629 | 0.8% |
| Trigg County, KY | 1,373 | 0.5% |
| Juniata County, PA | 1,141 | 0.5% |
| Edmonson County, KY | 1,056 | 0.5% |
| Butler County, KY | 906 | 0.3% |
| White County, TN | 749 | 0.3% |
| Clark County, KY | 684 | 0.4% |
| Overton County, TN | 578 | 0.2% |
| Berks County, PA | 514 | 0.1% |
| Bristol city, VA | 285 | 4.8% |
| Carter County, KY | 243 | 0.1% |
| Putnam County, TN | 210 | 0.1% |
| Garrard County, KY | 183 | 0.1% |
| Wise County, VA | 174 | 0.1% |
| Warren County, TN | 164 | 0.1% |
| Meade County, KY | 111 | 0.1% |
| Boyle County, KY | 103 | 0.1% |
| Cannon County, TN | 103 | 0.1% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 103 | 0.1% |
| Chester County, PA | 100 | 0.0% |
| Breckinridge County, KY | 79 | 0.0% |
| Clay County, TN | 41 | 0.0% |
| Pickett County, TN | 40 | 0.0% |
| Barren County, KY | 39 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Hagerstown acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 79.5% |
| Very limited | 19.4% |
| Not rated | 1.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Hagerstown 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 5–20% (median 6%).
- 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) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 92.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 6.8% |
| 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 | 1.1% |
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 Hagerstown (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 571,821 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Hagerstown components. The profile comes from the single largest Hagerstown component. Full methodology.