Soil series profile
Hector soil series
Hector is a well drained soil with a stony fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 788,760 acres in 51 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.8 moderately acidic · range 5.8–5.8
- Mapped area
- 789k acres in 51 counties, 6 states
Typical Hector profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (A) | Stony fine sandy loam | 5.8 | 8% | 61% | 2% |
| 6–15 in (Bw) | Gravelly fine sandy loam | 5.0 | 10% | 63% | 1.1% |
| 15–25 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Hector soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Hector soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.8. 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 Hector acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (46% of mapped Hector acres).
100% of mapped Hector acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates >99% of the acres in mapped Hector 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 Hector soil is found
Mapped acres
Hector is mapped in Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas and Kansas.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Hughes County, OK | 97,448 | 19.1% |
| Sequoyah County, OK | 90,957 | 21.1% |
| Blount County, AL | 61,785 | 17.2% |
| Okmulgee County, OK | 53,279 | 12.0% |
| Cherokee County, OK | 43,150 | 9.0% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 40,101 | 9.3% |
| McIntosh County, OK | 35,680 | 9.1% |
| Washington County, AR | 35,392 | 5.8% |
| Marion County, AL | 30,045 | 7.4% |
| Rogers County, OK | 29,590 | 6.9% |
| Haskell County, OK | 26,232 | 7.1% |
| Wagoner County, OK | 26,181 | 7.4% |
| Vernon County, MO | 25,677 | 4.8% |
| Adair County, OK | 23,614 | 6.4% |
| Okfuskee County, OK | 19,453 | 4.9% |
| Coal County, OK | 18,399 | 5.5% |
| Muskogee County, OK | 15,526 | 3.0% |
| Mayes County, OK | 14,717 | 3.5% |
| Chattooga County, GA | 11,975 | 6.2% |
| Dade County, GA | 11,833 | 10.7% |
| Craig County, OK | 11,562 | 2.4% |
| Walker County, GA | 11,485 | 4.1% |
| Barton County, MO | 10,399 | 2.7% |
| Floyd County, GA | 8,655 | 2.8% |
| Atoka County, OK | 7,382 | 1.2% |
| Nowata County, OK | 6,252 | 1.7% |
| Morgan County, AL | 5,381 | 1.7% |
| Pittsburg County, OK | 4,299 | 0.5% |
| Tulsa County, OK | 2,358 | 0.6% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 1,642 | 0.5% |
| Whitfield County, GA | 1,102 | 0.6% |
| Franklin County, KS | 998 | 0.3% |
| Labette County, KS | 960 | 0.2% |
| Crawford County, KS | 933 | 0.2% |
| Cherokee County, KS | 855 | 0.2% |
| Jackson County, AR | 712 | 0.2% |
| Talladega County, AL | 509 | 0.1% |
| Polk County, GA | 480 | 0.3% |
| Henry County, MO | 464 | 0.1% |
| Bourbon County, KS | 314 | 0.1% |
| Johnson County, MO | 249 | 0.0% |
| Lamar County, AL | 150 | 0.0% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 148 | 0.0% |
| Christian County, MO | 99 | 0.0% |
| Murray County, GA | 90 | 0.0% |
| Benton County, MO | 76 | 0.0% |
| Greene County, MO | 66 | 0.0% |
| Delaware County, OK | 48 | 0.0% |
| Gordon County, GA | 30 | 0.0% |
| Newton County, MO | 27 | 0.0% |
| Douglas County, KS | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Hector acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.6% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Hector 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 4–28% (median 18%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 2.4% |
| Well drained | 97.6% |
| 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 | 0.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 99.5% |
| 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 | 0.1% |
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 Hector (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 788,760 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Hector components. The profile comes from the single largest Hector component. Full methodology.