Soil series profile
Roxbury soil series
Roxbury is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 741,030 acres in 60 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.7 slightly alkaline · range 7.7–7.9
- Mapped area
- 741k acres in 60 counties, 3 states
Typical Roxbury profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 7.7 | 23% | 13% | 2.5% |
| 8–22 in (A) | Silt loam | 7.8 | 25% | 12% | 1.75% |
| 22–33 in (Bk1) | Silty clay loam | 8.0 | 28% | 12% | 2% |
| 33–56 in (Bk2) | Silt loam | 8.0 | 25% | 13% | 0.6% |
| 56–79 in (2Bk3) | Silt loam | 8.0 | 23% | 15% | 1.5% |
What this means
What Roxbury soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Roxbury soils is slightly alkaline: pH 7.7 (most land between 7.7 and 7.9). Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Roxbury acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (>99% of mapped Roxbury acres).
100% of mapped Roxbury 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 65% of the acres in mapped Roxbury soils very limited, 35% 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.
Flooding is mapped on 100% of the acres (40% occasional, 26% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Roxbury soil is found
Mapped acres
Roxbury is mapped in Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Osborne County, KS | 56,443 | 9.9% |
| Smith County, KS | 54,920 | 9.6% |
| Russell County, KS | 51,609 | 9.1% |
| Mitchell County, KS | 51,603 | 11.5% |
| Jewell County, KS | 49,665 | 8.5% |
| Ellis County, KS | 47,280 | 8.2% |
| Rush County, KS | 41,730 | 9.1% |
| Lincoln County, KS | 39,150 | 8.5% |
| Phillips County, KS | 38,684 | 6.8% |
| Hodgeman County, KS | 37,646 | 6.8% |
| Rooks County, KS | 36,268 | 6.4% |
| Ness County, KS | 33,387 | 4.9% |
| Gove County, KS | 20,227 | 2.9% |
| Barton County, KS | 15,271 | 2.7% |
| Norton County, KS | 14,981 | 2.7% |
| Pawnee County, KS | 14,917 | 3.1% |
| Clark County, KS | 14,640 | 2.4% |
| Saline County, KS | 12,187 | 2.7% |
| Ottawa County, KS | 12,138 | 2.6% |
| Finney County, KS | 12,033 | 1.4% |
| Sheridan County, KS | 11,348 | 2.0% |
| Ellsworth County, KS | 10,585 | 2.3% |
| Meade County, KS | 8,341 | 1.3% |
| Thomas County, KS | 7,391 | 1.1% |
| McPherson County, KS | 7,363 | 1.3% |
| Trego County, KS | 7,295 | 1.3% |
| Ford County, KS | 6,200 | 0.9% |
| Cloud County, KS | 5,941 | 1.3% |
| Yankton County, SD | 3,922 | 1.2% |
| Lane County, KS | 2,946 | 0.6% |
| Sherman County, KS | 2,290 | 0.3% |
| Franklin County, NE | 2,201 | 0.6% |
| Graham County, KS | 2,109 | 0.4% |
| Gray County, KS | 1,598 | 0.3% |
| Webster County, NE | 1,333 | 0.4% |
| Logan County, KS | 909 | 0.1% |
| Thayer County, NE | 772 | 0.2% |
| Edwards County, KS | 657 | 0.2% |
| Furnas County, NE | 337 | 0.1% |
| Scott County, KS | 315 | 0.1% |
| Harvey County, KS | 261 | 0.1% |
| Rice County, KS | 261 | 0.1% |
| Dickinson County, KS | 230 | 0.0% |
| Kearny County, KS | 229 | 0.0% |
| Clay County, SD | 225 | 0.1% |
| Comanche County, KS | 223 | 0.0% |
| Kiowa County, KS | 212 | 0.0% |
| Republic County, KS | 189 | 0.0% |
| Decatur County, KS | 187 | 0.0% |
| Rawlins County, KS | 103 | 0.0% |
| Nuckolls County, NE | 89 | 0.0% |
| Frontier County, NE | 81 | 0.0% |
| Red Willow County, NE | 47 | 0.0% |
| Turner County, SD | 19 | 0.0% |
| Clay County, KS | 12 | 0.0% |
| Reno County, KS | 10 | 0.0% |
| Sedgwick County, KS | 10 | 0.0% |
| Harlan County, NE | 6 | 0.0% |
| Marion County, KS | 4 | 0.0% |
| Butler County, KS | 1 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Roxbury acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 34.7% |
| Very limited | 65.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Roxbury acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.4 feet (53 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on 100% of acres (40% occasional, 26% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 1–2% (median 1%).
- 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 | 99.3% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.7% |
| 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 | 100.0% |
| 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% |
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 Roxbury (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 741,030 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Roxbury components. The profile comes from the single largest Roxbury component. Full methodology.