Soil series profile
Racine soil series
Racine is a well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 85,675 acres in 16 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 98% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 80% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.8 neutral · range 6.2–6.8
- Mapped area
- 86k acres in 16 counties, 2 states
Typical Racine profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Loam | 6.8 | 17% | 36% | 2.5% |
| 8–12 in (E) | Loam | 6.4 | 19% | 36% | 0.9% |
| 12–18 in (Bt1) | Loam | 5.8 | 23% | 38% | 0.4% |
| 18–46 in (2Bt2) | Sandy clay loam | 7.1 | 22% | 54% | 0.25% |
| 46–79 in (2BC) | Loam | 7.5 | 22% | 44% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Racine soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Racine soils is neutral: pH 6.8 (most land between 6.2 and 6.8), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Racine acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (63% of mapped Racine acres).
100% of mapped Racine acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 80% 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 88% of the acres in mapped Racine soils very limited, 12% 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 Racine soil is found
Mapped acres
Racine is mapped in Minnesota and Iowa.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Olmsted County, MN | 12,886 | 3.1% |
| Fillmore County, MN | 10,271 | 1.9% |
| Winneshiek County, IA | 9,247 | 2.1% |
| Mower County, MN | 8,970 | 2.0% |
| Rice County, MN | 7,850 | 2.5% |
| Floyd County, IA | 7,063 | 2.2% |
| Howard County, IA | 6,582 | 2.2% |
| Chickasaw County, IA | 5,701 | 1.8% |
| Mitchell County, IA | 5,458 | 1.8% |
| Dubuque County, IA | 3,351 | 0.9% |
| Goodhue County, MN | 3,094 | 0.6% |
| Winona County, MN | 1,839 | 0.5% |
| Jackson County, IA | 1,501 | 0.4% |
| Wabasha County, MN | 1,460 | 0.4% |
| Dodge County, MN | 401 | 0.1% |
| Fayette County, IA | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Racine acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 11.6% |
| Very limited | 88.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Racine acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.9 feet (47 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–8% (median 3%).
- 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 | 98.2% |
| Moderately well drained | 1.8% |
| 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 | 20.2% |
| C: slow infiltration | 79.8% |
| 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 Racine (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 85,675 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Racine components. The profile comes from the single largest Racine component. Full methodology.