Soil series profile
Pierre soil series
Pierre is a well drained soil with a silty clay surface, mapped on 1,322,007 acres in 21 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group D.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- D 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.1 neutral · range 7.0–7.9
- Mapped area
- 1.3M acres in 21 counties, 5 states
Typical Pierre profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (A) | Silty clay | 7.1 | 45% | 10% | 2.5% |
| 5–19 in (Bw) | Clay | 7.2 | 51% | 16% | 1% |
| 19–26 in (Bk) | Clay | 7.6 | 52% | 16% | 0.75% |
| 26–31 in (C) | Parachannery clay | 7.7 | 52% | 18% | 0.5% |
| 31–79 in (Cr) | Bedrock | 7.0 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Pierre soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Pierre soils is neutral: pH 7.1 (most land between 7.0 and 7.9), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Clayey topsoil covers >99% of mapped Pierre acres. Clay holds water and nutrients but drains slowly and compacts if worked wet: add compost, avoid tilling soggy soil and consider raised beds. The most common surface texture is clay (77% of mapped Pierre acres).
100% of mapped Pierre acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 100% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Pierre 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 Pierre soil is found
Mapped acres
Pierre is mapped in South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Fall River County, SD | 311,511 | 28.2% |
| Pennington County, SD | 158,631 | 8.9% |
| Meade County, SD | 125,602 | 5.7% |
| Ziebach County, SD | 123,200 | 9.8% |
| Butte County, SD | 86,553 | 6.0% |
| Jackson County, SD | 85,401 | 7.3% |
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 71,886 | 5.0% |
| Dawes County, NE | 68,946 | 7.7% |
| Big Horn County, MT | 62,428 | 1.4% |
| Sioux County, NE | 57,933 | 4.4% |
| Haakon County, SD | 55,045 | 4.7% |
| Yellowstone County, MT | 38,748 | 2.3% |
| Treasure County, MT | 30,688 | 4.9% |
| Judith Basin County, MT | 14,976 | 1.6% |
| Huerfano County, CO | 13,288 | 1.3% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 8,028 | 1.4% |
| Lawrence County, SD | 3,583 | 0.7% |
| Custer County, SD | 2,886 | 0.3% |
| Niobrara County, WY | 1,069 | 0.1% |
| Harding County, SD | 1,064 | 0.1% |
| Potter County, SD | 106 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Pierre acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Pierre 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 4–17% (median 13%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.5%.
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 | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 100.0% |
| 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 Pierre (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,322,007 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Pierre components. The profile comes from the single largest Pierre component. Full methodology.