Soil series profile
Pacolet soil series
Pacolet is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 3,134,795 acres in 126 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 96% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.5–6.2
- Mapped area
- 3.1M acres in 126 counties, 5 states
Typical Pacolet profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 in (A) | Sandy loam | 5.5 | 18% | 67% | 0.75% |
| 4–25 in (Bt) | Clay loam | 5.3 | 38% | 31% | 0.25% |
| 25–43 in (BC) | Sandy loam | 5.3 | 18% | 67% | 0.25% |
| 43–80 in (C) | Sandy loam | 5.3 | 12% | 68% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Pacolet soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Pacolet soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 5.5 and 6.2). 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 Pacolet acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (49% of mapped Pacolet acres).
100% of mapped Pacolet 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 46% of the acres in mapped Pacolet soils very limited, 54% 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 Pacolet soil is found
Mapped acres
Pacolet is mapped in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Virginia. The 60 counties with the most Pacolet acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Harris County, GA | 151,988 | 52.5% |
| Pickens County, SC | 144,109 | 46.2% |
| Rutherford County, NC | 114,561 | 34.4% |
| Talbot County, GA | 112,594 | 45.6% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 90,316 | 32.5% |
| Hall County, GA | 87,653 | 35.2% |
| Lee County, AL | 84,804 | 24.8% |
| Warren County, NC | 81,443 | 31.9% |
| Walton County, GA | 78,256 | 37.5% |
| Tallapoosa County, AL | 76,538 | 18.6% |
| Oconee County, SC | 72,041 | 17.8% |
| Jasper County, GA | 64,350 | 27.3% |
| Lincoln County, NC | 62,922 | 35.7% |
| Jackson County, GA | 60,460 | 28.0% |
| Greenville County, SC | 58,421 | 11.6% |
| Abbeville County, SC | 49,425 | 16.4% |
| Gwinnett County, GA | 48,955 | 18.3% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 48,876 | 18.2% |
| Wake County, NC | 48,817 | 9.2% |
| Wilkes County, GA | 47,191 | 16.7% |
| Rowan County, NC | 45,232 | 15.0% |
| Davidson County, NC | 45,079 | 13.8% |
| Coosa County, AL | 42,366 | 11.1% |
| York County, SC | 40,678 | 9.4% |
| DeKalb County, GA | 39,909 | 23.3% |
| Anson County, NC | 39,149 | 12.9% |
| Newton County, GA | 38,991 | 22.2% |
| Laurens County, SC | 38,932 | 8.7% |
| Oconee County, GA | 38,261 | 32.5% |
| Spartanburg County, SC | 36,579 | 7.1% |
| Chester County, SC | 35,974 | 9.7% |
| Fairfield County, SC | 35,737 | 9.4% |
| Iredell County, NC | 34,570 | 9.9% |
| Heard County, GA | 33,623 | 17.9% |
| Troup County, GA | 33,038 | 12.6% |
| Henry County, GA | 31,384 | 15.4% |
| Polk County, NC | 29,648 | 21.2% |
| Habersham County, GA | 27,710 | 15.7% |
| Butts County, GA | 27,443 | 25.1% |
| Rockdale County, GA | 26,221 | 31.3% |
| Meriwether County, GA | 24,999 | 7.9% |
| Anderson County, SC | 24,617 | 5.4% |
| Greene County, GA | 24,364 | 10.7% |
| Clarke County, GA | 24,093 | 31.5% |
| Newberry County, SC | 23,450 | 6.8% |
| Union County, SC | 23,278 | 7.2% |
| Goochland County, VA | 23,193 | 15.4% |
| Davie County, NC | 21,248 | 13.5% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 21,021 | 8.4% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 19,548 | 5.6% |
| Banks County, GA | 19,360 | 13.0% |
| Lincoln County, GA | 18,862 | 13.8% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 18,797 | 7.0% |
| Gaston County, NC | 18,588 | 8.9% |
| Catawba County, NC | 18,413 | 7.8% |
| Barrow County, GA | 18,338 | 17.8% |
| Monroe County, GA | 17,855 | 8.1% |
| Paulding County, GA | 17,478 | 9.1% |
| Cobb County, GA | 17,388 | 8.0% |
| Brunswick County, VA | 17,089 | 5.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Pacolet acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 53.7% |
| Very limited | 46.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Pacolet 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 8–22% (median 13%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
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 | 96.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 3.9% |
| 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 Pacolet (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 3,134,795 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Pacolet components. The profile comes from the single largest Pacolet component. Full methodology.