Soil series profile
Hobbs soil series
Hobbs is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 1,258,685 acres in 90 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.9 neutral · range 6.9–6.9
- Mapped area
- 1.3M acres in 90 counties, 2 states
Typical Hobbs profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (A) | Silt loam | 6.9 | 14% | 36% | 2.5% |
| 6–79 in (C) | Stratified silt loam | 7.4 | 22% | 26% | 1.5% |
What this means
What Hobbs soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Hobbs soils is neutral: pH 6.9, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Hobbs acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (100% of mapped Hobbs acres).
100% of mapped Hobbs 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Hobbs soils very limited, <1% 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.
Flooding is mapped on 100% of the acres (55% occasional, 45% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Hobbs soil is found
Mapped acres
Hobbs is mapped in Nebraska and Kansas. The 60 counties with the most Hobbs acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Custer County, NE | 121,435 | 7.4% |
| Webster County, NE | 55,886 | 15.3% |
| Buffalo County, NE | 53,140 | 8.7% |
| Republic County, KS | 44,495 | 9.7% |
| Washington County, KS | 42,575 | 7.4% |
| Dawson County, NE | 40,347 | 6.3% |
| Dickinson County, KS | 39,813 | 7.3% |
| Lincoln County, NE | 39,371 | 2.4% |
| Valley County, NE | 36,734 | 10.1% |
| Franklin County, NE | 34,642 | 9.4% |
| Sherman County, NE | 34,605 | 9.6% |
| Cloud County, KS | 31,472 | 6.9% |
| Saline County, NE | 30,964 | 8.4% |
| Seward County, NE | 29,703 | 8.1% |
| Clay County, KS | 28,592 | 6.9% |
| Furnas County, NE | 28,080 | 6.1% |
| Harlan County, NE | 27,438 | 7.8% |
| Greeley County, NE | 26,881 | 7.4% |
| Boone County, NE | 26,162 | 6.0% |
| Platte County, NE | 25,113 | 5.8% |
| Nuckolls County, NE | 24,627 | 6.7% |
| Ottawa County, KS | 24,448 | 5.3% |
| York County, NE | 23,282 | 6.3% |
| Frontier County, NE | 22,026 | 3.5% |
| Thayer County, NE | 20,347 | 5.6% |
| Madison County, NE | 19,691 | 5.4% |
| Butler County, NE | 17,943 | 4.8% |
| Stanton County, NE | 17,859 | 6.5% |
| Clay County, NE | 17,033 | 4.6% |
| Jefferson County, NE | 16,985 | 4.6% |
| Howard County, NE | 16,895 | 4.7% |
| Adams County, NE | 16,034 | 4.5% |
| Nance County, NE | 15,844 | 5.6% |
| Norton County, KS | 15,417 | 2.7% |
| Fillmore County, NE | 15,297 | 4.2% |
| Hamilton County, NE | 14,871 | 4.3% |
| Harvey County, KS | 14,698 | 4.3% |
| Gosper County, NE | 14,231 | 4.9% |
| Red Willow County, NE | 13,899 | 3.0% |
| Phillips County, KS | 13,357 | 2.3% |
| Rice County, KS | 11,158 | 2.4% |
| Pierce County, NE | 11,018 | 3.0% |
| Cedar County, NE | 8,585 | 1.8% |
| Antelope County, NE | 8,044 | 1.5% |
| Colfax County, NE | 7,842 | 3.0% |
| Polk County, NE | 7,596 | 2.7% |
| Hall County, NE | 7,007 | 2.0% |
| Saline County, KS | 4,007 | 0.9% |
| McPherson County, KS | 3,784 | 0.7% |
| Kearney County, NE | 3,710 | 1.1% |
| Garfield County, NE | 3,386 | 0.9% |
| Geary County, KS | 3,223 | 1.3% |
| Phelps County, NE | 3,016 | 0.9% |
| Knox County, NE | 2,676 | 0.4% |
| Jewell County, KS | 2,235 | 0.4% |
| Thurston County, NE | 2,058 | 0.8% |
| Logan County, NE | 1,973 | 0.5% |
| Loup County, NE | 1,639 | 0.5% |
| Merrick County, NE | 1,603 | 0.5% |
| Lincoln County, KS | 1,553 | 0.3% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Hobbs acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.1% |
| Very limited | 99.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Hobbs acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on 100% of acres (55% occasional, 45% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 1–2% (median 1%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.5%.
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 | 100.0% |
| 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% |
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 Hobbs (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,258,685 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Hobbs components. The profile comes from the single largest Hobbs component. Full methodology.