Soil series profile
Judson soil series
Judson is a well drained soil with a silty clay loam surface, mapped on 794,301 acres in 92 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 90% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.8 moderately acidic · range 5.8–6.5
- Mapped area
- 794k acres in 92 counties, 6 states
Typical Judson profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (Ap) | Silty clay loam | 5.8 | 29% | 4% | 3.8% |
| 9–22 in (A) | Silty clay loam | 6.1 | 30% | 4% | 2.6% |
| 22–28 in (AB) | Silty clay loam | 6.3 | 30% | 4% | 2% |
| 28–35 in (Bt) | Silty clay loam | 6.4 | 31% | 4% | 1% |
| 35–52 in (BC) | Silty clay loam | 6.7 | 30% | 4% | 0.5% |
| 52–79 in (C) | Silty clay loam | 6.8 | 30% | 4% | 0.3% |
What this means
What Judson soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Judson soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.8 (most land between 5.8 and 6.5). 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 100% of mapped Judson acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silty clay loam (65% of mapped Judson acres).
100% of mapped Judson acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 90% 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 90% of the acres in mapped Judson soils very limited, 10% 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 Judson soil is found
Mapped acres
Judson is mapped in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The 60 counties with the most Judson acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Saunders County, NE | 58,559 | 12.2% |
| Crawford County, IA | 57,971 | 12.7% |
| Shelby County, IA | 52,435 | 13.9% |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 45,748 | 7.5% |
| Cass County, IA | 34,245 | 9.5% |
| Lancaster County, NE | 33,375 | 6.2% |
| Audubon County, IA | 26,992 | 9.5% |
| Woodbury County, IA | 26,649 | 4.8% |
| Page County, IA | 24,231 | 7.1% |
| Cass County, NE | 22,841 | 6.4% |
| Montgomery County, IA | 22,423 | 8.3% |
| Otoe County, NE | 21,538 | 5.5% |
| Richardson County, NE | 20,111 | 5.7% |
| Gage County, NE | 19,235 | 3.5% |
| Washington County, NE | 17,284 | 6.9% |
| Mills County, IA | 16,466 | 5.9% |
| Ida County, IA | 16,290 | 5.9% |
| Nemaha County, NE | 15,338 | 5.8% |
| Pawnee County, NE | 14,379 | 5.2% |
| Fremont County, IA | 13,135 | 4.0% |
| Carroll County, IA | 12,917 | 3.5% |
| Johnson County, NE | 11,679 | 4.9% |
| Atchison County, MO | 11,518 | 3.3% |
| Holt County, MO | 11,194 | 3.8% |
| Sioux County, IA | 9,978 | 2.0% |
| Taylor County, IA | 9,945 | 2.9% |
| Sarpy County, NE | 9,671 | 6.3% |
| Butler County, NE | 8,832 | 2.4% |
| Fillmore County, MN | 8,426 | 1.5% |
| Douglas County, NE | 8,339 | 4.0% |
| Jasper County, IA | 7,975 | 1.7% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 6,883 | 1.2% |
| Adair County, IA | 6,695 | 1.8% |
| Guthrie County, IA | 6,603 | 1.8% |
| Brown County, KS | 6,377 | 1.7% |
| Doniphan County, KS | 5,975 | 2.4% |
| Cherokee County, IA | 5,538 | 1.5% |
| Iowa County, WI | 5,409 | 1.1% |
| Iowa County, IA | 5,400 | 1.4% |
| Andrew County, MO | 4,870 | 1.8% |
| Grant County, WI | 4,652 | 0.6% |
| Jefferson County, NE | 4,071 | 1.1% |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 4,012 | 1.1% |
| Tama County, IA | 3,704 | 0.8% |
| Union County, IA | 3,678 | 1.4% |
| Buchanan County, MO | 3,641 | 1.4% |
| Marshall County, IA | 3,613 | 1.0% |
| Benton County, IA | 3,117 | 0.7% |
| Cedar County, IA | 2,990 | 0.8% |
| Adams County, IA | 2,978 | 1.1% |
| Linn County, IA | 2,958 | 0.6% |
| Mahaska County, IA | 2,644 | 0.7% |
| Polk County, IA | 2,202 | 0.6% |
| Franklin County, IA | 2,123 | 0.6% |
| Jones County, IA | 2,058 | 0.6% |
| Atchison County, KS | 2,055 | 0.7% |
| Marion County, IA | 1,902 | 0.5% |
| Grundy County, IA | 1,895 | 0.6% |
| Rock County, MN | 1,496 | 0.5% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 1,491 | 0.5% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Judson acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 9.8% |
| Very limited | 90.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Judson acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.9 feet (59 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on <1% of acres.
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on 2% of acres (<1% occasional, <1% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 4–7% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 97.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 2.1% |
| 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 | 10.3% |
| C: slow infiltration | 89.5% |
| 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 | 0.2% |
| 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 Judson (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 794,301 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Judson components. The profile comes from the single largest Judson component. Full methodology.