Soil series profile
Hudson soil series
Hudson is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 167,415 acres in 26 counties in NY. Hydrologic group C/D.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C/D 85% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · range 6.2–6.3
- Mapped area
- 167k acres in 26 counties, 1 state
Typical Hudson profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–12 in (H1) | Silt loam | 6.2 | 24% | 21% | 4.5% |
| 12–16 in (H2) | Silty clay loam | 6.2 | 37% | 19% | 1.5% |
| 16–59 in (H3) | Silty clay | 6.7 | 50% | 5% | 0.5% |
| 59–70 in (H4) | Silty clay | 7.5 | 45% | 7% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Hudson soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Hudson soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 6.2 and 6.3), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 94% of mapped Hudson acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (79% of mapped Hudson acres).
>99% of mapped Hudson acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 94% 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 94% of the acres in mapped Hudson soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (6% 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 Hudson soil is found
Mapped acres
Hudson is mapped in New York.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, NY | 28,409 | 3.5% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 18,761 | 3.6% |
| Albany County, NY | 17,109 | 5.1% |
| Washington County, NY | 15,236 | 2.9% |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 13,532 | 3.2% |
| Tompkins County, NY | 10,189 | 3.4% |
| Cattaraugus County, NY | 7,604 | 0.9% |
| Erie County, NY | 7,269 | 1.1% |
| Columbia County, NY | 6,779 | 1.7% |
| Allegany County, NY | 4,839 | 0.7% |
| Ulster County, NY | 4,704 | 0.7% |
| Schoharie County, NY | 4,328 | 1.1% |
| Greene County, NY | 3,846 | 0.9% |
| Livingston County, NY | 3,839 | 0.9% |
| Herkimer County, NY | 3,725 | 0.4% |
| Chemung County, NY | 3,333 | 1.3% |
| Dutchess County, NY | 2,829 | 0.6% |
| Niagara County, NY | 2,333 | 0.7% |
| Schuyler County, NY | 2,016 | 1.0% |
| Montgomery County, NY | 1,630 | 0.6% |
| Oswego County, NY | 1,327 | 0.2% |
| Monroe County, NY | 1,305 | 0.3% |
| Warren County, NY | 751 | 0.1% |
| Schenectady County, NY | 700 | 0.5% |
| Fulton County, NY | 686 | 0.2% |
| Lewis County, NY | 316 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Hudson acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 94.2% |
| Not rated | 5.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Hudson acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 1.7 feet (20 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on <1% of acres.
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–33% (median 12%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 4.5%.
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 | 99.6% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 9.6% |
| 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 | 84.6% |
| Not rated | 5.8% |
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 Hudson (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 167,415 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Hudson components. The profile comes from the single largest Hudson component. Full methodology.