Soil series profile
Rawsonville soil series
Rawsonville is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 537,015 acres in 24 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 50% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.6 very strongly acidic · range 4.4–5.0
- Mapped area
- 537k acres in 24 counties, 4 states
Typical Rawsonville profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 in (Oe) | Moderately decomposed plant material | 4.6 | Not reported | 30% | 70% |
| 2–4 in (Oa) | Highly decomposed plant material | 4.8 | Not reported | 40% | 60% |
| 4–9 in (E) | Fine sandy loam | 5.0 | 4% | 61% | 4.5% |
| 9–13 in (Bhs1) | Fine sandy loam | 4.8 | 4% | 61% | 12% |
| 13–17 in (Bhs2) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 4% | 67% | 12% |
| 17–27 in (Bs) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 4% | 67% | 7% |
| 27–31 in (BC) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 4% | 67% | 2% |
| 31–79 in (R) | Bedrock | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
What this means
What Rawsonville soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Rawsonville soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.6 (most land between 4.4 and 5.0). 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 98% of mapped Rawsonville acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (62% of mapped Rawsonville acres).
>99% of mapped Rawsonville acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 98% of the acres in mapped Rawsonville soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (2% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Rawsonville soil is found
Mapped acres
Rawsonville is mapped in New York, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, NY | 90,187 | 8.2% |
| Essex County, NY | 60,756 | 5.3% |
| Somerset County, ME | 53,440 | 2.1% |
| Windham County, VT | 49,698 | 9.9% |
| Piscataquis County, ME | 38,342 | 1.5% |
| Bennington County, VT | 37,996 | 8.8% |
| Herkimer County, NY | 37,631 | 4.2% |
| Washington County, ME | 32,736 | 2.1% |
| Franklin County, ME | 27,264 | 2.5% |
| Franklin County, NY | 20,855 | 2.0% |
| Rutland County, VT | 19,280 | 3.2% |
| Oxford County, ME | 17,478 | 1.4% |
| Washington County, VT | 14,605 | 3.3% |
| Aroostook County, ME | 10,532 | 0.2% |
| Windsor County, VT | 8,413 | 1.4% |
| Clinton County, NY | 7,101 | 1.1% |
| Orleans County, VT | 3,627 | 0.8% |
| Fulton County, NY | 2,233 | 0.7% |
| St. Lawrence County, NY | 1,636 | 0.1% |
| Caledonia County, VT | 1,624 | 0.4% |
| Lewis County, NY | 935 | 0.1% |
| Coos County, NH | 415 | 0.0% |
| Hancock County, ME | 204 | 0.0% |
| Penobscot County, ME | 28 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Rawsonville acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 98.1% |
| Not rated | 1.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Rawsonville acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.9 feet (71 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 9–48% (median 25%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 6%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.4% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.6% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 50.3% |
| C: slow infiltration | 47.8% |
| 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% |
| Not rated | 1.9% |
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 Rawsonville (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 537,015 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Rawsonville components. The profile comes from the single largest Rawsonville component. Full methodology.