Soil series profile
Norfolk soil series
Norfolk is a well drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 1,597,234 acres in 117 counties across 7 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 86% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.8 very strongly acidic · range 4.5–5.3
- Mapped area
- 1.6M acres in 117 counties, 7 states
Typical Norfolk profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Loamy sand | 4.5 | 8% | 83% | 1.5% |
| 8–14 in (E) | Loamy sand | 4.5 | 8% | 83% | 0.5% |
| 14–65 in (Bt) | Sandy clay loam | 4.5 | 23% | 57% | 0.25% |
| 65–80 in (BC) | Sandy clay loam | 4.6 | 30% | 55% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Norfolk soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Norfolk soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.8 (most land between 4.5 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.
Sandy topsoil covers 87% of mapped Norfolk 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 loamy sand (76% of mapped Norfolk acres).
100% of mapped Norfolk 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 6% of the acres in mapped Norfolk soils very limited, 94% 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 Norfolk soil is found
Mapped acres
Norfolk is mapped in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas and Virginia. The 60 counties with the most Norfolk acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Sampson County, NC | 82,825 | 14.6% |
| Robeson County, NC | 73,874 | 12.7% |
| Nash County, NC | 71,261 | 21.9% |
| Johnston County, NC | 52,331 | 11.3% |
| Wilson County, NC | 46,215 | 20.8% |
| Wayne County, NC | 44,957 | 13.6% |
| Edgecombe County, NC | 42,704 | 13.9% |
| Sumter County, SC | 42,684 | 10.1% |
| Columbus County, NC | 42,624 | 7.8% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 42,529 | 4.4% |
| Mitchell County, GA | 42,456 | 15.2% |
| Florence County, SC | 40,762 | 8.5% |
| Ouachita County, AR | 39,577 | 8.5% |
| Harnett County, NC | 38,715 | 10.9% |
| Early County, GA | 35,708 | 11.9% |
| Lenoir County, NC | 34,035 | 14.3% |
| Darlington County, SC | 32,644 | 9.8% |
| Northampton County, NC | 31,629 | 10.2% |
| Lee County, SC | 27,970 | 10.7% |
| Bladen County, NC | 27,739 | 5.4% |
| Onslow County, NC | 26,223 | 5.9% |
| Duplin County, NC | 25,304 | 5.4% |
| Greene County, NC | 24,366 | 15.1% |
| Allendale County, SC | 21,910 | 5.8% |
| Pender County, NC | 20,218 | 4.0% |
| Miller County, GA | 20,009 | 12.4% |
| Hoke County, NC | 19,558 | 8.7% |
| Marlboro County, SC | 19,543 | 6.7% |
| Hampton County, SC | 19,059 | 5.4% |
| Martin County, NC | 18,751 | 6.9% |
| Pitt County, NC | 18,188 | 4.8% |
| Dale County, AL | 18,039 | 6.2% |
| Screven County, GA | 16,364 | 4.6% |
| Hertford County, NC | 16,188 | 7.9% |
| Taylor County, GA | 15,635 | 6.5% |
| Richland County, SC | 14,915 | 3.2% |
| Walton County, FL | 13,804 | 1.9% |
| Bertie County, NC | 13,774 | 3.4% |
| Baker County, GA | 13,686 | 7.2% |
| Berkeley County, SC | 13,485 | 2.0% |
| Calhoun County, GA | 13,188 | 8.1% |
| Cumberland County, NC | 13,146 | 3.6% |
| Houston County, GA | 13,039 | 5.5% |
| Bamberg County, SC | 12,962 | 5.6% |
| Brunswick County, NC | 12,611 | 2.5% |
| Hanover County, VA | 12,362 | 4.7% |
| Seminole County, GA | 11,258 | 8.3% |
| Gadsden County, FL | 10,928 | 3.3% |
| Baldwin County, GA | 10,757 | 6.6% |
| Lee County, GA | 10,646 | 5.1% |
| Leon County, FL | 10,092 | 2.4% |
| Bibb County, GA | 10,020 | 6.3% |
| McDuffie County, GA | 9,975 | 6.1% |
| Scotland County, NC | 9,248 | 4.9% |
| Craven County, NC | 8,828 | 2.2% |
| Jones County, NC | 8,719 | 3.1% |
| Horry County, SC | 8,244 | 1.2% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 7,780 | 1.7% |
| Grady County, GA | 6,814 | 2.8% |
| Warren County, GA | 6,745 | 3.7% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Norfolk acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 93.9% |
| Very limited | 6.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Norfolk acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.9 feet (47 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–4% (median 2%).
- 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) | 12.8% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 86.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 1.3% |
| 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 Norfolk (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,597,234 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Norfolk components. The profile comes from the single largest Norfolk component. Full methodology.