Soil series profile
Sweatman soil series
Sweatman is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 761,876 acres in 36 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 95% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.0
- Mapped area
- 762k acres in 36 counties, 3 states
Typical Sweatman profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (Ap) | Fine sandy loam | 4.5 | 13% | 67% | 1.25% |
| 5–42 in (Bt) | Clay | 4.5 | 45% | 26% | 0.2% |
| 42–80 in (C) | Stratified sandy loam to fine sandy loam to clay loam | 5.1 | 10% | 69% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Sweatman soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Sweatman soils is very strongly acidic: pH 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 99% of mapped Sweatman acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (77% of mapped Sweatman acres).
100% of mapped Sweatman acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Sweatman soils very limited, 0% 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 Sweatman soil is found
Mapped acres
Sweatman is mapped in Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale County, MS | 123,060 | 32.6% |
| Neshoba County, MS | 78,098 | 22.5% |
| Winston County, MS | 64,115 | 16.8% |
| Kemper County, MS | 61,136 | 15.7% |
| Jasper County, MS | 57,182 | 13.9% |
| Attala County, MS | 50,678 | 11.0% |
| Clarke County, MS | 40,415 | 9.4% |
| Smith County, MS | 38,594 | 9.7% |
| Webster County, MS | 34,157 | 13.4% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 30,516 | 11.8% |
| Newton County, MS | 27,390 | 8.0% |
| Leake County, MS | 22,702 | 6.2% |
| Union County, MS | 17,336 | 6.9% |
| Montgomery County, MS | 16,305 | 6.8% |
| Benton County, MS | 14,158 | 5.7% |
| Carroll County, TN | 13,168 | 3.4% |
| Chickasaw County, MS | 10,602 | 3.4% |
| Tippah County, MS | 9,674 | 3.5% |
| Scott County, MS | 8,653 | 2.2% |
| Noxubee County, MS | 8,337 | 1.9% |
| Catahoula Parish, LA | 6,364 | 1.4% |
| Simpson County, MS | 4,845 | 1.4% |
| Marion County, MS | 4,060 | 1.2% |
| Madison County, TN | 3,147 | 0.9% |
| Jones County, MS | 2,626 | 0.6% |
| Clay County, MS | 2,398 | 0.9% |
| Lowndes County, MS | 2,356 | 0.8% |
| Stone County, MS | 1,618 | 0.6% |
| Decatur County, TN | 1,597 | 0.7% |
| Covington County, MS | 1,585 | 0.6% |
| Perry County, MS | 1,312 | 0.3% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 1,254 | 0.5% |
| Wayne County, MS | 1,223 | 0.3% |
| McNairy County, TN | 608 | 0.2% |
| Pontotoc County, MS | 526 | 0.2% |
| Oktibbeha County, MS | 78 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Sweatman acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.9% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Sweatman 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 7–25% (median 20%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 100.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 94.7% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 5.2% |
| 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 | 0.1% |
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 Sweatman (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 761,876 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Sweatman components. The profile comes from the single largest Sweatman component. Full methodology.