Soil series profile
Hammonton soil series
Hammonton is a moderately well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 240,020 acres in 32 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · range 4.6–6.2
- Mapped area
- 240k acres in 32 counties, 4 states
Typical Hammonton profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 4.6 | 8% | 69% | 2% |
| 8–18 in (E) | Sandy loam | 4.6 | 8% | 69% | 0.25% |
| 18–36 in (Bt) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 14% | 67% | 0.25% |
| 36–60 in (C) | Sand | 5.0 | 5% | 90% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Hammonton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Hammonton soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 4.6 and 6.2), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 64% of mapped Hammonton acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (64% of mapped Hammonton acres).
98% of mapped Hammonton 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 97% of the acres in mapped Hammonton soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (3% 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 Hammonton soil is found
Mapped acres
Hammonton is mapped in New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and District of Columbia.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County, NJ | 28,756 | 9.2% |
| Sussex County, DE | 27,179 | 5.4% |
| Cape May County, NJ | 24,123 | 15.0% |
| Atlantic County, NJ | 22,390 | 5.6% |
| Kent County, DE | 18,935 | 5.2% |
| Ocean County, NJ | 14,821 | 3.0% |
| Caroline County, MD | 12,575 | 6.2% |
| Queen Anne's County, MD | 12,570 | 5.3% |
| Worcester County, MD | 11,614 | 3.3% |
| Dorchester County, MD | 10,996 | 3.1% |
| New Castle County, DE | 7,188 | 2.8% |
| Wicomico County, MD | 6,408 | 2.7% |
| Salem County, NJ | 6,303 | 3.2% |
| Gloucester County, NJ | 6,280 | 3.0% |
| Anne Arundel County, MD | 4,652 | 1.6% |
| Monmouth County, NJ | 4,306 | 1.4% |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 4,036 | 2.0% |
| Burlington County, NJ | 2,931 | 0.6% |
| Prince George's County, MD | 2,452 | 0.8% |
| Somerset County, MD | 2,208 | 1.8% |
| Camden County, NJ | 1,842 | 1.3% |
| Talbot County, MD | 1,702 | 1.0% |
| Charles County, MD | 1,570 | 0.5% |
| Kent County, MD | 1,425 | 0.8% |
| Calvert County, MD | 671 | 0.5% |
| St. Mary's County, MD | 556 | 0.2% |
| Cecil County, MD | 470 | 0.2% |
| Harford County, MD | 377 | 0.1% |
| Baltimore County, MD | 322 | 0.1% |
| Howard County, MD | 223 | 0.1% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 125 | 0.1% |
| District of Columbia, DC | 15 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Hammonton acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 97.4% |
| Not rated | 2.6% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Hammonton acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.0 feet (24 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–3% (median 1%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 97.9% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 2.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 97.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 | 2.1% |
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 Hammonton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 240,020 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Hammonton components. The profile comes from the single largest Hammonton component. Full methodology.