Soil series profile
Lakeland soil series
Lakeland is a excessively drained soil with a sand surface, mapped on 2,008,179 acres in 129 counties across 7 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Excessively drained 93% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 4.9–5.5
- Mapped area
- 2.0M acres in 129 counties, 7 states
Typical Lakeland profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (A) | Sand | 4.9 | 2% | 93% | 0.75% |
| 7–80 in (C) | Sand | 5.1 | 2% | 94% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Lakeland soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Lakeland soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 4.9 and 5.5). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Sandy topsoil covers 100% of mapped Lakeland acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is sand (88% of mapped Lakeland acres).
100% of mapped Lakeland acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
100% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates >99% of the acres in mapped Lakeland soils very limited, <1% somewhat limited and <1% 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 Lakeland soil is found
Mapped acres
Lakeland is mapped in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi and Virginia. The 60 counties with the most Lakeland acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Okaloosa County, FL | 200,794 | 33.7% |
| Walton County, FL | 137,663 | 18.9% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 136,515 | 14.1% |
| Lexington County, SC | 126,469 | 28.5% |
| Aiken County, SC | 93,918 | 13.7% |
| Santa Rosa County, FL | 91,441 | 12.6% |
| Washington County, FL | 85,980 | 22.5% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 82,459 | 17.5% |
| Taylor County, GA | 48,265 | 20.0% |
| Richland County, SC | 40,553 | 8.6% |
| Wilkinson County, GA | 39,936 | 15.9% |
| Liberty County, FL | 36,556 | 6.8% |
| Bay County, FL | 34,914 | 7.1% |
| Washington County, GA | 32,544 | 8.7% |
| Marion County, SC | 30,985 | 10.2% |
| Marion County, GA | 25,290 | 10.9% |
| Beaufort County, SC | 25,268 | 6.8% |
| Escambia County, FL | 24,791 | 5.9% |
| Lowndes County, GA | 24,036 | 8.2% |
| Bulloch County, GA | 23,983 | 6.2% |
| Calhoun County, FL | 23,766 | 6.6% |
| Florence County, SC | 22,224 | 4.6% |
| Jackson County, FL | 21,583 | 3.6% |
| Schley County, GA | 20,684 | 22.0% |
| Randolph County, GA | 20,532 | 8.8% |
| Georgetown County, SC | 19,610 | 3.8% |
| Clay County, GA | 18,216 | 17.0% |
| Bladen County, NC | 17,883 | 3.5% |
| Columbia County, FL | 16,942 | 3.3% |
| Wheeler County, GA | 16,914 | 9.8% |
| Gadsden County, FL | 16,878 | 5.1% |
| Richmond County, GA | 16,220 | 7.9% |
| Macon County, GA | 15,792 | 7.0% |
| Horry County, SC | 15,650 | 2.2% |
| Cumberland County, NC | 15,320 | 4.1% |
| Dillon County, SC | 15,100 | 5.8% |
| Toombs County, GA | 13,395 | 6.4% |
| Sumter County, GA | 12,516 | 4.5% |
| Hoke County, NC | 12,412 | 5.5% |
| Bryan County, GA | 11,410 | 4.1% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 11,092 | 3.5% |
| Houston County, GA | 9,905 | 4.2% |
| Baldwin County, GA | 9,437 | 5.7% |
| Wayne County, NC | 9,169 | 2.8% |
| Berrien County, GA | 9,160 | 3.2% |
| Dale County, AL | 8,948 | 3.1% |
| Allendale County, SC | 8,945 | 2.4% |
| Wakulla County, FL | 8,934 | 2.2% |
| Jones County, GA | 8,593 | 3.4% |
| Montgomery County, GA | 8,271 | 6.0% |
| Lanier County, GA | 7,925 | 6.4% |
| Crawford County, GA | 7,315 | 3.6% |
| Robeson County, NC | 7,286 | 1.3% |
| Chatham County, GA | 7,050 | 2.6% |
| Pitt County, NC | 6,425 | 1.7% |
| Brooks County, GA | 6,356 | 2.4% |
| Holmes County, FL | 6,232 | 2.0% |
| Greene County, AL | 6,134 | 1.8% |
| Lenoir County, NC | 5,746 | 2.4% |
| Burke County, GA | 5,682 | 1.2% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Lakeland acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.1% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.8% |
| Very limited | 99.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Lakeland acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.8 feet (57 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on <1% of acres (<1% occasional, 0% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 3–10% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 92.5% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 7.5% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| 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) | 100.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 Lakeland (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 2,008,179 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Lakeland components. The profile comes from the single largest Lakeland component. Full methodology.