Soil series profile
Ruston soil series
Ruston is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 1,985,435 acres in 127 counties across 8 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 90% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.5
- Mapped area
- 2.0M acres in 127 counties, 8 states
Typical Ruston profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 in (A) | Fine sandy loam | 5.5 | 11% | 68% | 1.75% |
| 4–16 in (E) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 11% | 68% | 0.25% |
| 16–27 in (Bt) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 27% | 55% | 0.25% |
| 27–47 in (Bt/E) | Sandy loam | 5.3 | 15% | 69% | 0.25% |
| 47–67 in (B't) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 27% | 55% | 0.25% |
| 67–92 in (BC) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 15% | 69% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Ruston soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Ruston soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 5.0 and 5.5). 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 94% of mapped Ruston acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (79% of mapped Ruston acres).
>99% of mapped Ruston 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 28% of the acres in mapped Ruston soils very limited, 67% somewhat limited and 2% not limited (4% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Ruston soil is found
Mapped acres
Ruston is mapped in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Virginia. The 60 counties with the most Ruston acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Parish, LA | 86,690 | 20.2% |
| Rapides Parish, LA | 68,465 | 8.2% |
| Jefferson Davis County, MS | 62,874 | 26.2% |
| Grant Parish, LA | 62,142 | 15.2% |
| Union Parish, LA | 58,288 | 10.4% |
| McCurtain County, OK | 56,810 | 4.8% |
| Lincoln County, MS | 56,726 | 15.4% |
| Vernon Parish, LA | 54,746 | 6.5% |
| Marion County, MS | 51,728 | 15.5% |
| Tangipahoa Parish, LA | 49,400 | 9.9% |
| Walthall County, MS | 48,679 | 19.1% |
| Smith County, MS | 45,411 | 11.4% |
| Covington County, MS | 43,973 | 17.4% |
| Chilton County, AL | 43,286 | 11.2% |
| LaSalle Parish, LA | 42,995 | 10.5% |
| Ouachita Parish, LA | 42,176 | 11.0% |
| St. Helena Parish, LA | 34,510 | 13.2% |
| Fayette County, AL | 33,595 | 9.6% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 33,572 | 7.3% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 33,280 | 12.6% |
| Amite County, MS | 33,197 | 7.7% |
| Wayne County, MS | 30,138 | 6.2% |
| Alcorn County, MS | 29,006 | 11.7% |
| Monroe County, MS | 28,723 | 6.0% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 26,948 | 7.4% |
| Red River Parish, LA | 26,125 | 10.7% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 25,935 | 2.7% |
| Simpson County, MS | 25,760 | 7.2% |
| Dale County, AL | 23,225 | 8.0% |
| Newton County, MS | 21,905 | 6.4% |
| Harrison County, MS | 21,774 | 5.8% |
| Natchitoches Parish, LA | 21,720 | 2.7% |
| Greene County, AL | 21,687 | 6.4% |
| Kemper County, MS | 21,606 | 5.5% |
| Jones County, MS | 21,416 | 5.0% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 20,641 | 7.9% |
| Winston County, MS | 20,578 | 5.4% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 20,516 | 8.4% |
| Bowie County, TX | 19,690 | 3.5% |
| Neshoba County, MS | 19,266 | 5.5% |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 19,125 | 2.6% |
| Pike County, MS | 17,467 | 7.1% |
| Grenada County, MS | 14,774 | 6.0% |
| Webster Parish, LA | 14,689 | 3.8% |
| Tippah County, MS | 13,890 | 5.0% |
| Itawamba County, MS | 13,288 | 4.0% |
| Escambia County, AL | 13,080 | 2.4% |
| Winn Parish, LA | 12,784 | 2.1% |
| Columbia County, AR | 12,727 | 2.6% |
| Bienville Parish, LA | 12,416 | 2.4% |
| Howard County, AR | 12,224 | 3.3% |
| Beauregard Parish, LA | 12,073 | 1.6% |
| Jasper County, MS | 11,787 | 2.9% |
| Clarke County, MS | 11,723 | 2.7% |
| Cherokee County, TX | 11,495 | 1.7% |
| Calhoun County, AR | 11,130 | 2.8% |
| Caldwell Parish, LA | 10,935 | 3.2% |
| Allen Parish, LA | 10,238 | 2.1% |
| Pushmataha County, OK | 10,156 | 1.1% |
| Autauga County, AL | 9,843 | 3.2% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Ruston acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 1.8% |
| Somewhat limited | 66.6% |
| Very limited | 27.9% |
| Not rated | 3.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Ruston acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.0 feet (24 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 2–10% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.5% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 89.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 5.8% |
| 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 | 3.8% |
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 Ruston (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,985,435 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Ruston components. The profile comes from the single largest Ruston component. Full methodology.