Soil series profile
Madison soil series
Madison is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 2,525,215 acres in 104 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 4.7–5.5
- Mapped area
- 2.5M acres in 104 counties, 5 states
Typical Madison profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (H1) | Loam | 5.5 | 18% | 45% | 1.25% |
| 5–33 in (H2) | Clay | 5.0 | 40% | 30% | 0.25% |
| 33–80 in (H3) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 13% | 71% | 0% |
What this means
What Madison soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Madison soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 4.7 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.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 96% of mapped Madison acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (29% of mapped Madison acres).
100% of mapped Madison 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 28% of the acres in mapped Madison soils very limited, 72% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Madison soil is found
Mapped acres
Madison is mapped in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The 60 counties with the most Madison acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Carroll County, GA | 161,480 | 51.0% |
| Madison County, GA | 122,318 | 68.6% |
| Clay County, AL | 114,773 | 31.6% |
| Randolph County, AL | 105,594 | 31.7% |
| Coweta County, GA | 93,355 | 33.5% |
| Union County, SC | 92,023 | 28.4% |
| Forsyth County, GA | 77,890 | 54.6% |
| Anderson County, SC | 75,114 | 16.5% |
| Hart County, GA | 71,980 | 49.4% |
| Meriwether County, GA | 70,496 | 22.2% |
| Hall County, GA | 68,027 | 27.3% |
| Monroe County, GA | 60,830 | 27.7% |
| Coosa County, AL | 60,633 | 15.9% |
| Elbert County, GA | 59,223 | 26.5% |
| Heard County, GA | 56,775 | 30.2% |
| Cobb County, GA | 56,364 | 26.0% |
| Douglas County, GA | 55,270 | 43.4% |
| Tallapoosa County, AL | 52,670 | 12.8% |
| Chester County, SC | 52,300 | 14.1% |
| Habersham County, GA | 48,670 | 27.5% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 42,888 | 14.9% |
| Franklin County, GA | 40,484 | 24.3% |
| Gwinnett County, GA | 39,349 | 14.7% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 33,552 | 12.5% |
| Cherokee County, GA | 31,180 | 11.8% |
| Troup County, GA | 30,979 | 11.8% |
| Rutherford County, NC | 29,942 | 9.0% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 29,893 | 11.9% |
| Laurens County, SC | 28,567 | 6.4% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 26,381 | 5.6% |
| Goochland County, VA | 25,400 | 16.9% |
| Stephens County, GA | 23,810 | 20.9% |
| Banks County, GA | 23,411 | 15.8% |
| Chambers County, AL | 23,360 | 6.9% |
| Chilton County, AL | 22,912 | 5.9% |
| Haralson County, GA | 21,815 | 12.1% |
| Gaston County, NC | 19,153 | 9.1% |
| Fairfield County, SC | 17,617 | 4.6% |
| Greenville County, SC | 17,564 | 3.5% |
| Henry County, GA | 16,789 | 8.2% |
| Jackson County, GA | 16,412 | 7.6% |
| Prince Edward County, VA | 16,347 | 8.5% |
| Pickens County, GA | 15,960 | 10.9% |
| Polk County, NC | 15,854 | 11.3% |
| Hancock County, GA | 15,362 | 5.1% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 14,887 | 5.4% |
| Oconee County, GA | 14,842 | 12.6% |
| Nottoway County, VA | 14,655 | 8.4% |
| Clarke County, GA | 13,895 | 18.1% |
| Barrow County, GA | 13,646 | 13.3% |
| Upson County, GA | 13,448 | 6.7% |
| Butts County, GA | 13,410 | 12.3% |
| Jasper County, GA | 12,560 | 5.3% |
| Gilmer County, GA | 12,025 | 4.4% |
| Catawba County, NC | 11,966 | 5.0% |
| Newton County, GA | 11,922 | 6.8% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 10,942 | 6.4% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 9,694 | 2.8% |
| Lincoln County, NC | 9,552 | 5.4% |
| Polk County, GA | 9,400 | 4.9% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Madison acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 71.8% |
| Very limited | 28.2% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Madison 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 4–20% (median 11%).
- 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 | 98.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 1.6% |
| 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 Madison (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 2,525,215 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Madison components. The profile comes from the single largest Madison component. Full methodology.