Soil series profile
Paxton soil series
Paxton is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 799,835 acres in 49 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 91% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 4.8–5.5
- Mapped area
- 800k acres in 49 counties, 8 states
Typical Paxton profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Fine sandy loam | 5.5 | 7% | 61% | 5.09% |
| 8–15 in (Bw1) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 7% | 61% | 1.32% |
| 15–26 in (Bw2) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 7% | 61% | 0.41% |
| 26–65 in (Cd) | Gravelly fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 7% | 61% | 0.16% |
What this means
What Paxton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Paxton soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 4.8 and 5.5). 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 Paxton acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (98% of mapped Paxton acres).
>99% of mapped Paxton 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 Paxton 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 Paxton soil is found
Mapped acres
Paxton is mapped in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Jersey.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester County, MA | 147,458 | 15.3% |
| Kennebec County, ME | 69,742 | 12.6% |
| Bristol County, MA | 60,567 | 16.8% |
| Litchfield County, CT | 44,383 | 7.6% |
| Cumberland County, ME | 39,461 | 7.0% |
| Westchester County, NY | 34,926 | 13.2% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 29,529 | 5.6% |
| Fairfield County, CT | 26,820 | 6.6% |
| Windham County, CT | 21,447 | 6.6% |
| Essex County, MA | 20,744 | 6.5% |
| Hampshire County, MA | 18,959 | 5.4% |
| Providence County, RI | 18,719 | 6.9% |
| New London County, CT | 18,218 | 4.2% |
| Tolland County, CT | 17,932 | 6.9% |
| Lewis County, NY | 17,727 | 2.2% |
| Franklin County, MA | 17,270 | 3.9% |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 16,429 | 2.9% |
| Putnam County, NY | 16,409 | 11.1% |
| Strafford County, NH | 16,111 | 6.8% |
| Rockingham County, NH | 15,344 | 3.4% |
| Hampden County, MA | 15,218 | 3.9% |
| Middlesex County, CT | 14,248 | 5.9% |
| New Haven County, CT | 14,125 | 3.6% |
| Rutland County, VT | 14,002 | 2.4% |
| Androscoggin County, ME | 12,070 | 4.0% |
| Merrimack County, NH | 9,332 | 1.6% |
| Hartford County, CT | 9,267 | 2.0% |
| Fulton County, NY | 7,752 | 2.4% |
| Washington County, RI | 5,982 | 2.7% |
| Plymouth County, MA | 4,988 | 1.2% |
| Norfolk County, MA | 4,981 | 3.6% |
| Suffolk County, MA | 4,981 | 3.6% |
| Kent County, RI | 4,081 | 3.5% |
| Rockland County, NY | 2,857 | 2.6% |
| Saratoga County, NY | 2,572 | 0.5% |
| Orange County, NY | 1,612 | 0.3% |
| Sagadahoc County, ME | 872 | 0.5% |
| Newport County, RI | 539 | 0.8% |
| Bristol County, RI | 439 | 2.6% |
| Dutchess County, NY | 402 | 0.1% |
| Washington County, NY | 337 | 0.1% |
| Belknap County, NH | 293 | 0.1% |
| Bronx County, NY | 231 | 0.9% |
| Warren County, NY | 204 | 0.0% |
| Grafton County, NH | 128 | 0.0% |
| Passaic County, NJ | 63 | 0.1% |
| Essex County, NY | 57 | 0.0% |
| Queens County, NY | 6 | 0.0% |
| New York County, NY | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Paxton acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.6% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Paxton acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.2 feet (26 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 6–20% (median 12%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 5.5%.
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 | 0.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 90.7% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.2% |
| 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 | 8.7% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
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 Paxton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 799,835 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Paxton components. The profile comes from the single largest Paxton component. Full methodology.