Soil series profile
Parker soil series
Parker is a somewhat excessively drained soil with a cobbly loam surface, mapped on 129,108 acres in 18 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Somewhat excessively drained 94% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 56% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.7
- Mapped area
- 129k acres in 18 counties, 4 states
Typical Parker profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (Ap) | Cobbly loam | 5.0 | 14% | 45% | 3% |
| 9–22 in (Bw) | Cobbly sandy loam | 5.0 | 10% | 67% | 0.25% |
| 22–41 in (C) | Very cobbly sandy loam | 5.0 | 7% | 69% | 0% |
| 41–80 in (R) | Unweathered bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Parker soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Parker soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 5.0 and 5.7). 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 100% of mapped Parker acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is very gravelly sandy loam (31% of mapped Parker acres).
100% of mapped Parker acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
44% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates >99% of the acres in mapped Parker soils very limited, <1% 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 Parker soil is found
Mapped acres
Parker is mapped in New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Morris County, NJ | 30,033 | 10.2% |
| Hunterdon County, NJ | 28,832 | 10.5% |
| Albemarle County, VA | 17,616 | 4.6% |
| Chester County, PA | 15,291 | 3.2% |
| Greene County, VA | 13,245 | 15.6% |
| Warren County, NJ | 10,573 | 4.7% |
| Montgomery County, VA | 3,445 | 1.7% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 2,432 | 1.3% |
| Montgomery County, PA | 2,331 | 0.8% |
| Berks County, PA | 1,745 | 0.3% |
| Delaware County, PA | 1,632 | 1.2% |
| Northampton County, PA | 1,131 | 0.5% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 604 | 0.3% |
| Bucks County, PA | 176 | 0.0% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 10 | 0.0% |
| Lancaster County, PA | 9 | 0.0% |
| New Castle County, DE | 2 | 0.0% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Parker acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.2% |
| Very limited | 99.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Parker 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 9–43% (median 20%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 6.2% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 93.8% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| 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) | 44.3% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 55.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 Parker (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 129,108 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Parker components. The profile comes from the single largest Parker component. Full methodology.