Soil series profile
Manor soil series
Manor is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 355,857 acres in 27 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 98% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 4.8–5.3
- Mapped area
- 356k acres in 27 counties, 5 states
Typical Manor profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (H1) | Loam | 4.8 | 18% | 43% | 2% |
| 8–17 in (H2) | Loam | 4.8 | 18% | 43% | 0.25% |
| 17–82 in (H3) | Very gravelly sandy loam | 4.8 | 13% | 68% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Manor soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Manor soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 4.8 and 5.3). 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 Manor acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (62% of mapped Manor acres).
>99% of mapped Manor 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 Manor 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 Manor soil is found
Mapped acres
Manor is mapped in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia and Delaware.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County, PA | 57,278 | 9.5% |
| Baltimore County, MD | 54,969 | 14.8% |
| Chester County, PA | 53,228 | 11.1% |
| Carroll County, VA | 51,230 | 18.9% |
| Harford County, MD | 35,042 | 12.8% |
| York County, PA | 31,522 | 5.5% |
| Carroll County, MD | 20,303 | 7.1% |
| Howard County, MD | 20,015 | 12.5% |
| Delaware County, PA | 7,806 | 5.5% |
| Cecil County, MD | 4,964 | 2.5% |
| Montgomery County, PA | 4,100 | 1.3% |
| Philadelphia County, PA | 3,747 | 4.6% |
| District of Columbia, DC | 2,577 | 6.6% |
| Stafford County, VA | 2,344 | 1.6% |
| Bucks County, PA | 1,097 | 0.3% |
| New Castle County, DE | 1,083 | 0.4% |
| Prince William County, VA | 797 | 0.4% |
| Baltimore city, MD | 751 | 1.5% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 744 | 0.2% |
| Prince George's County, MD | 525 | 0.2% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 462 | 0.1% |
| Adams County, PA | 428 | 0.1% |
| Arlington County, VA | 362 | 2.3% |
| Orange County, VA | 279 | 0.1% |
| Madison County, VA | 192 | 0.1% |
| Charlottesville city, VA | 7 | 0.1% |
| Fauquier County, VA | 3 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Manor 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 Manor 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 6–35% (median 20%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 97.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 2.2% |
| 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 Manor (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 355,857 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Manor components. The profile comes from the single largest Manor component. Full methodology.