Soil series profile
Lexington soil series
Lexington is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 654,061 acres in 49 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.3–6.3
- Mapped area
- 654k acres in 49 counties, 5 states
Typical Lexington profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 6.3 | 24% | 5% | 1.25% |
| 6–32 in (Bt) | Silty clay loam | 5.8 | 31% | 6% | 0.35% |
| 32–80 in (2Bt) | Loam | 5.3 | 18% | 45% | 0.3% |
What this means
What Lexington soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Lexington soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.3 and 6.3). 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.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Lexington acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (83% of mapped Lexington acres).
100% of mapped Lexington 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 Lexington 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 Lexington soil is found
Mapped acres
Lexington is mapped in Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana and Arkansas.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Carroll County, TN | 87,738 | 22.9% |
| Henderson County, TN | 76,160 | 22.9% |
| Henry County, TN | 69,835 | 19.5% |
| Madison County, TN | 67,905 | 19.2% |
| Hardeman County, TN | 63,551 | 15.0% |
| Lafayette County, MS | 33,861 | 8.8% |
| Benton County, MS | 31,943 | 12.8% |
| Gibson County, TN | 30,988 | 8.1% |
| Wilkinson County, MS | 27,513 | 6.4% |
| Marshall County, MS | 26,206 | 6.0% |
| Fayette County, TN | 22,006 | 4.9% |
| Jefferson County, MS | 18,195 | 5.9% |
| Haywood County, TN | 15,012 | 3.9% |
| Carroll County, MS | 13,168 | 3.4% |
| Weakley County, TN | 10,957 | 3.0% |
| Chester County, TN | 7,382 | 4.0% |
| Hinds County, MS | 6,489 | 1.2% |
| McNairy County, TN | 6,391 | 1.8% |
| Copiah County, MS | 5,664 | 1.2% |
| Madison County, MS | 4,856 | 1.1% |
| Franklin County, MS | 4,408 | 1.3% |
| Decatur County, TN | 2,750 | 1.3% |
| Calloway County, KY | 2,432 | 1.1% |
| Union County, MS | 1,844 | 0.7% |
| Obion County, TN | 1,724 | 0.5% |
| Tippah County, MS | 1,635 | 0.6% |
| LaSalle Parish, LA | 1,572 | 0.4% |
| Lauderdale County, TN | 1,485 | 0.5% |
| Benton County, TN | 1,432 | 0.6% |
| Crockett County, TN | 1,366 | 0.7% |
| Marshall County, KY | 946 | 0.4% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 880 | 0.4% |
| Lyon County, KY | 862 | 0.6% |
| Itawamba County, MS | 798 | 0.2% |
| DeSoto County, MS | 711 | 0.2% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 476 | 0.2% |
| Lee County, MS | 463 | 0.2% |
| Pontotoc County, MS | 442 | 0.2% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 384 | 0.1% |
| Tate County, MS | 375 | 0.2% |
| Shelby County, TN | 369 | 0.1% |
| Cross County, AR | 230 | 0.1% |
| Panola County, MS | 224 | 0.1% |
| Hardin County, TN | 134 | 0.0% |
| Trigg County, KY | 106 | 0.0% |
| Grenada County, MS | 74 | 0.0% |
| Dyer County, TN | 63 | 0.0% |
| Tallahatchie County, MS | 35 | 0.0% |
| Yalobusha County, MS | 20 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Lexington acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.9% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Lexington 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 4–16% (median 10%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
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 | 99.9% |
| 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% |
| 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 Lexington (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 654,061 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Lexington components. The profile comes from the single largest Lexington component. Full methodology.