Soil series profile
Ora soil series
Ora is a moderately well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 1,016,338 acres in 67 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group C/D.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C/D 58% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 4.6–5.0
- Mapped area
- 1.0M acres in 67 counties, 5 states
Typical Ora profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Loam | 5.0 | 18% | 43% | 2% |
| 6–24 in (Bt) | Sandy clay loam | 4.5 | 26% | 56% | 0.2% |
| 24–55 in (Btx) | Sandy clay loam | 4.5 | 26% | 57% | 0.15% |
| 55–80 in (C) | Sandy clay loam | 4.5 | 26% | 57% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Ora soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Ora soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 4.6 and 5.0). 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 Ora acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (60% of mapped Ora acres).
>99% of mapped Ora acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates >99% of the acres in mapped Ora 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 Ora soil is found
Mapped acres
Ora is mapped in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee. The 60 counties with the most Ora acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Pike County, MS | 70,431 | 28.6% |
| Walthall County, MS | 64,935 | 25.5% |
| Winston County, MS | 54,797 | 14.3% |
| Amite County, MS | 43,854 | 10.1% |
| Marion County, AL | 43,222 | 10.7% |
| Neshoba County, MS | 38,992 | 11.2% |
| Leake County, MS | 36,251 | 9.9% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 35,682 | 14.4% |
| Covington County, MS | 33,209 | 13.1% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 32,910 | 12.7% |
| Jefferson Davis County, MS | 30,031 | 12.5% |
| Lee County, MS | 29,824 | 10.7% |
| Itawamba County, MS | 29,790 | 8.9% |
| Clay County, MS | 26,766 | 10.3% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 25,565 | 6.8% |
| Monroe County, MS | 25,061 | 5.3% |
| Lincoln County, MS | 24,712 | 6.7% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 23,882 | 9.0% |
| Jasper County, MS | 23,182 | 5.6% |
| Simpson County, MS | 21,892 | 6.1% |
| Webster County, MS | 21,138 | 8.3% |
| Smith County, MS | 20,437 | 5.1% |
| Attala County, MS | 19,871 | 4.3% |
| Pontotoc County, MS | 19,397 | 6.7% |
| Chickasaw County, MS | 19,252 | 6.2% |
| Scott County, MS | 18,170 | 4.7% |
| Ouachita Parish, LA | 17,866 | 4.7% |
| Kemper County, MS | 17,019 | 4.4% |
| Chilton County, AL | 16,264 | 4.2% |
| Newton County, MS | 14,980 | 4.4% |
| Hempstead County, AR | 12,368 | 2.7% |
| Clarke County, MS | 12,278 | 2.9% |
| Fayette County, AL | 11,599 | 3.3% |
| Tippah County, MS | 9,817 | 3.5% |
| Marion County, MS | 8,870 | 2.7% |
| Union Parish, LA | 7,471 | 1.3% |
| Greene County, AL | 6,350 | 1.9% |
| Franklin County, AL | 6,069 | 1.8% |
| Rankin County, MS | 5,553 | 1.2% |
| Lamar County, AL | 4,839 | 1.4% |
| Clark County, AR | 4,461 | 0.8% |
| Union County, MS | 3,300 | 1.3% |
| Franklin County, AR | 3,255 | 0.8% |
| Jones County, MS | 3,234 | 0.8% |
| Columbia County, AR | 3,052 | 0.6% |
| Benton County, MS | 2,832 | 1.1% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 2,249 | 0.9% |
| Wayne County, MS | 1,793 | 0.4% |
| Lowndes County, MS | 1,487 | 0.5% |
| Noxubee County, MS | 1,428 | 0.3% |
| Marshall County, MS | 687 | 0.2% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 558 | 0.2% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 442 | 0.1% |
| Harrison County, MS | 389 | 0.1% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 373 | 0.1% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 338 | 0.1% |
| Hot Spring County, AR | 294 | 0.1% |
| Perry County, MS | 269 | 0.1% |
| Madison County, TN | 262 | 0.1% |
| Lafayette County, MS | 225 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Ora acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.1% |
| Not rated | 0.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Ora acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 1.8 feet (22 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on 17% of acres.
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–10% (median 6%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 99.8% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 41.2% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.1% |
| 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 | 57.9% |
| Not rated | 0.9% |
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 Ora (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,016,338 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Ora components. The profile comes from the single largest Ora component. Full methodology.