Soil series profile

Winfield soil series

Winfield is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 581,694 acres in 51 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group C.

#451 by mapped area fine-silty Oxyaquic Hapludalfs (Alfisols)

Drainage class
Moderately well drained
100% of mapped acres
Hydrologic group
C
100% of mapped acres
Typical topsoil pH
5.6
moderately acidic · range 5.6–6.5
Mapped area
582k
acres in 51 counties, 2 states

Typical Winfield profile

Texture and pH by depth

Typical Winfield soil profile by depth 0 in 10 in 20 in 30 in 40 in 50 in 0–7 in · H1 · pH 6.5 · 22% clay Silt loam 7–33 in · H2 · pH 5.5 · 31% clay Silty clay loam 33–60 in · H3 · pH 5.8 · 22% clay Silt loam
Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).
Show as a table
Typical Winfield horizons (representative values)
Depth Texture pH Clay Sand Organic matter
0–7 in (H1) Silt loam 6.5 22% 4% 1.5%
7–33 in (H2) Silty clay loam 5.5 31% 4% 0.25%
33–60 in (H3) Silt loam 5.8 22% 4% 0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Winfield map unit (Winfield silt loam, 5 to 10 percent slopes, eroded, survey area IL149). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

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

What this means

What Winfield soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Winfield soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.6 (most land between 5.6 and 6.5). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Winfield acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (95% of mapped Winfield acres).

100% of mapped Winfield acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

On 100% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Winfield 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 Winfield soil is found

Mapped acres

Winfield is mapped in Missouri and Illinois.

Counties with the most mapped Winfield soil
County Acres Share of county land
Pike County, IL 75,232 15.3%
Pike County, MO 40,041 9.3%
Lafayette County, MO 37,112 9.2%
Madison County, IL 35,155 7.9%
Ralls County, MO 32,258 10.7%
Callaway County, MO 31,397 5.9%
Howard County, MO 28,956 9.8%
St. Louis County, MO 27,158 7.4%
Adams County, IL 27,131 5.2%
Washington County, IL 23,964 6.8%
Lewis County, MO 23,350 7.3%
Cooper County, MO 20,423 5.7%
St. Clair County, IL 18,463 4.6%
Marion County, MO 18,360 6.6%
Boone County, MO 18,216 4.2%
Saline County, MO 17,296 3.6%
Moniteau County, MO 14,959 5.6%
Warren County, MO 13,349 4.9%
Montgomery County, MO 10,040 2.9%
St. Charles County, MO 8,265 2.3%
Hancock County, IL 6,419 1.3%
Union County, IL 6,393 2.7%
Monroe County, IL 6,206 2.6%
Johnson County, MO 5,498 1.0%
Clark County, MO 4,780 1.5%
Jersey County, IL 4,308 1.9%
Randolph County, IL 3,938 1.1%
Franklin County, MO 3,872 0.7%
Cape Girardeau County, MO 2,569 0.7%
Perry County, MO 2,319 0.8%
Bollinger County, MO 2,005 0.5%
Calhoun County, IL 1,870 1.3%
Lincoln County, MO 1,783 0.4%
Alexander County, IL 1,713 1.2%
Ste. Genevieve County, MO 1,530 0.5%
Cass County, MO 1,269 0.3%
Jefferson County, MO 997 0.2%
Jackson County, MO 681 0.2%
Wayne County, MO 646 0.1%
Pulaski County, IL 396 0.3%
Macoupin County, IL 376 0.1%
Osage County, MO 363 0.1%
Harrison County, MO 287 0.1%
Cole County, MO 149 0.1%
Chariton County, MO 133 0.0%
Macon County, MO 35 0.0%
Jackson County, IL 22 0.0%
Linn County, MO 9 0.0%
Johnson County, IL 3 0.0%
Gasconade County, MO 2 0.0%
Pettis County, MO 1 0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Winfield acres

Not limited 0%
Somewhat limited 0%
Very limited 100%
Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Winfield acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Winfield acres.
CategoryShare of acres
Not limited0.0%
Somewhat limited0.0%
Very limited100.0%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Winfield acres

Depth to seasonal high water table
About 2.9 feet (35 in) (median where reported).
Flooding
Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope
Typically 4–11% (median 8%).
Topsoil organic matter
Median 2.5%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%
Somewhat excessively drained 0%
Well drained 0%
Moderately well drained 100%
Somewhat poorly drained 0%
Poorly drained 0%
Very poorly drained 0%
Drainage class across mapped Winfield acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Drainage class across mapped Winfield acres.
CategoryShare of acres
Excessively drained0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained0.0%
Well drained0.0%
Moderately well drained100.0%
Somewhat poorly drained0.0%
Poorly drained0.0%
Very poorly drained0.0%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%
B: moderate infiltration 0%
C: slow infiltration 100%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%
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%
Hydrologic soil group across mapped Winfield acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.
Show as a table
Hydrologic soil group across mapped Winfield acres.
CategoryShare of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)0.0%
B: moderate infiltration0.0%
C: slow infiltration100.0%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet)0.0%
A/D: D as is, A if drained0.0%
B/D: D as is, B if drained0.0%
C/D: D as is, C if drained0.0%

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 Winfield (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 581,694 acres.
Method
Shares are by mapped acres of Winfield components. The profile comes from the single largest Winfield component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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