Soil series profile

Upshur soil series

Upshur is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 1,365,814 acres in 76 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group D.

#95 by mapped area fine Typic Hapludalfs (Alfisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: D
Typical topsoil pH: 5.5
Mapped area: 1.4M

Typical Upshur profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Upshur horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–1 in (Oi)	Slightly decomposed plant material	4.3	Not reported	Not reported	69%
1–3 in (A)	Silt loam	5.5	21%	18%	1.75%
3–8 in (Bt1)	Silty clay loam	5.5	35%	10%	0.4%
8–37 in (Bt2)	Silty clay	5.5	52%	6%	0.25%
37–45 in (Bt3)	Parachannery silty clay	5.5	50%	7%	0.4%
45–55 in (Cr)	Bedrock	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Representative values from the most extensive Upshur map unit (Gilpin-Upshur silt loams, 35 to 70 percent slopes, severely eroded, survey area WV041). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Upshur soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Upshur soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 4.8 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 93% of mapped Upshur acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (51% of mapped Upshur acres).

>99% of mapped Upshur 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 Upshur 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Upshur soil is found

Mapped acres

Upshur is mapped in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. The 60 counties with the most Upshur acres:

Counties with the most mapped Upshur soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Washington County, OH	128,992	31.8%
Ritchie County, WV	95,274	42.3%
Meigs County, OH	93,517	34.0%
Jackson County, WV	68,053	28.7%
Lawrence County, OH	62,533	21.5%
Wood County, WV	62,091	30.2%
Lewis County, WV	60,723	29.8%
Braxton County, WV	59,802	23.4%
Putnam County, WV	50,463	29.5%
Kanawha County, WV	50,052	10.8%
Gallia County, OH	46,913	15.6%
Mason County, WV	44,121	20.0%
Tyler County, WV	39,769	30.7%
Monroe County, OH	38,735	13.3%
Roane County, WV	36,346	14.2%
Wirt County, WV	35,949	28.4%
Morgan County, OH	35,022	13.1%
Cabell County, WV	31,584	20.8%
Allegheny County, PA	26,117	5.6%
Harrison County, WV	20,855	9.5%
Guernsey County, OH	20,263	6.1%
Pleasants County, WV	19,556	30.6%
Calhoun County, WV	19,204	13.1%
Lincoln County, WV	18,078	8.0%
Lawrence County, KY	17,803	6.7%
Noble County, OH	16,120	6.3%
Wayne County, WV	16,035	6.5%
Gilmer County, WV	15,778	8.6%
Westmoreland County, PA	14,627	2.2%
Marion County, WV	14,383	8.8%
Clay County, WV	13,939	7.9%
Carter County, KY	10,743	4.1%
Monongalia County, WV	10,648	5.6%
Boyd County, KY	9,519	9.3%
Upshur County, WV	8,901	5.1%
Muskingum County, OH	8,394	2.0%
Beaver County, PA	8,043	2.9%
Athens County, OH	6,201	1.9%
Doddridge County, WV	4,237	2.5%
Barbour County, WV	3,303	1.9%
Indiana County, PA	3,286	0.6%
Harrison County, OH	2,995	1.2%
Columbiana County, OH	1,947	0.6%
Greene County, PA	1,252	0.3%
Butler County, PA	1,154	0.2%
Belmont County, OH	1,075	0.3%
Perry County, OH	889	0.3%
Jefferson County, OH	879	0.3%
Taylor County, WV	809	0.9%
Armstrong County, PA	799	0.2%
Tuscarawas County, OH	791	0.2%
Rowan County, KY	751	0.4%
Menifee County, KY	745	0.6%
Knox County, OH	742	0.2%
Vinton County, OH	662	0.2%
Coshocton County, OH	601	0.2%
Carroll County, OH	545	0.2%
Washington County, PA	392	0.1%
Pike County, OH	371	0.1%
Clarion County, PA	350	0.1%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Upshur acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited >99%

Not rated <1%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Upshur acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Upshur acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	99.1%
Not rated	0.9%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Upshur acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 12–53% (median 30%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 1.8%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained >99%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Not rated <1%

Drainage class across mapped Upshur acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Upshur acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	99.6%
Moderately well drained	0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%
Not rated	0.4%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%

B: moderate infiltration 0%

C: slow infiltration 45%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 55%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Not rated <1%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Upshur acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Upshur acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	0.0%
C: slow infiltration	44.5%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet)	54.6%
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	0.9%

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 Upshur (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,365,814 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Upshur components. The profile comes from the single largest Upshur component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Upshur.