Soil series profile
Plainfield soil series
Plainfield is a excessively drained soil with a sand surface, mapped on 1,101,310 acres in 116 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Excessively drained 99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.7 moderately acidic · range 4.9–6.2
- Mapped area
- 1.1M acres in 116 counties, 8 states
Typical Plainfield profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Sand | 5.2 | 4% | 91% | 1.25% |
| 7–28 in (Bw) | Sand | 5.3 | 3% | 93% | 0.3% |
| 28–36 in (BC) | Sand | 5.7 | 2% | 97% | 0.15% |
| 36–79 in (C) | Sand | 5.9 | 2% | 96% | 0.15% |
What this means
What Plainfield soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Plainfield soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.7 (most land between 4.9 and 6.2). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Sandy topsoil covers >99% of mapped Plainfield acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is sand (74% of mapped Plainfield acres).
99% of mapped Plainfield acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.
For lawns and yards
>99% 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 Plainfield 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 Plainfield soil is found
Mapped acres
Plainfield is mapped in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. The 60 counties with the most Plainfield acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Adams County, WI | 109,981 | 26.7% |
| Waushara County, WI | 102,160 | 25.5% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 74,884 | 13.9% |
| Muskegon County, MI | 60,838 | 18.8% |
| Manistee County, MI | 50,284 | 14.5% |
| Waupaca County, WI | 48,737 | 10.2% |
| Montcalm County, MI | 43,442 | 9.7% |
| Mason County, IL | 40,379 | 12.0% |
| Wood County, WI | 38,550 | 7.6% |
| Eau Claire County, WI | 37,199 | 9.1% |
| Starke County, IN | 36,829 | 18.7% |
| Marquette County, WI | 36,449 | 12.6% |
| Portage County, WI | 32,694 | 6.3% |
| Lake County, MI | 28,257 | 7.8% |
| Dunn County, WI | 26,246 | 4.8% |
| Kent County, MI | 25,973 | 4.8% |
| Columbia County, WI | 20,249 | 4.1% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 18,806 | 5.3% |
| Juneau County, WI | 16,987 | 3.5% |
| Jefferson County, NY | 15,801 | 1.9% |
| Cass County, IL | 15,384 | 6.7% |
| Warren County, NY | 13,751 | 2.5% |
| Sauk County, WI | 13,737 | 2.6% |
| Isabella County, MI | 12,536 | 3.4% |
| LaGrange County, IN | 10,232 | 4.2% |
| Tazewell County, IL | 8,502 | 2.1% |
| Ottawa County, MI | 7,890 | 2.2% |
| Wabasha County, MN | 7,828 | 2.3% |
| Clinton County, NY | 7,804 | 1.2% |
| Mason County, MI | 7,764 | 2.5% |
| Oceana County, MI | 7,062 | 2.1% |
| St. Croix County, WI | 7,014 | 1.5% |
| Marshall County, IN | 6,260 | 2.2% |
| Ulster County, NY | 6,257 | 0.9% |
| Pierce County, WI | 5,974 | 1.6% |
| Huron County, MI | 5,578 | 1.1% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 4,807 | 1.0% |
| Fulton County, IN | 4,667 | 2.0% |
| Berrien County, MI | 4,621 | 1.3% |
| Pepin County, WI | 4,344 | 2.9% |
| Buffalo County, WI | 4,225 | 1.0% |
| Houston County, MN | 4,126 | 1.2% |
| Midland County, MI | 3,473 | 1.0% |
| Gratiot County, MI | 3,384 | 0.9% |
| Olmsted County, MN | 3,305 | 0.8% |
| Ionia County, MI | 3,123 | 0.9% |
| Dakota County, MN | 2,897 | 0.8% |
| Dane County, WI | 2,895 | 0.4% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 2,883 | 0.8% |
| Manitowoc County, WI | 2,680 | 0.7% |
| Wayne County, MI | 2,638 | 0.7% |
| Morgan County, IL | 2,555 | 0.7% |
| Steuben County, IN | 2,486 | 1.3% |
| Winona County, MN | 2,408 | 0.6% |
| Whiteside County, IL | 2,329 | 0.6% |
| Jackson County, WI | 2,139 | 0.3% |
| Lewis County, NY | 2,113 | 0.3% |
| Peoria County, IL | 2,096 | 0.5% |
| Nicollet County, MN | 2,031 | 0.7% |
| Scott County, IL | 1,979 | 1.3% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Plainfield acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.4% |
| Very limited | 98.7% |
| Not rated | 0.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Plainfield acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.8 feet (69 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–18% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 98.6% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 1.4% |
| 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) | 99.1% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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% |
| 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 Plainfield (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,101,310 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Plainfield components. The profile comes from the single largest Plainfield component. Full methodology.