Soil series profile
Woodstown soil series
Woodstown is a moderately well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 287,914 acres in 47 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 97% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 84% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.7 moderately acidic · range 4.6–5.7
- Mapped area
- 288k acres in 47 counties, 6 states
Typical Woodstown profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 5.7 | 9% | 72% | 1.95% |
| 7–11 in (E) | Sandy loam | 5.3 | 6% | 73% | 0.8% |
| 11–29 in (Bt) | Sandy loam | 5.5 | 19% | 64% | 0.2% |
| 29–45 in (BCg) | Fine sandy loam | 5.0 | 13% | 78% | 0.2% |
| 45–80 in (Cg) | Loamy sand | 4.5 | 8% | 88% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Woodstown soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Woodstown soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.7 (most land between 4.6 and 5.7). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Sandy topsoil covers 53% of mapped Woodstown acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (70% of mapped Woodstown acres).
97% of mapped Woodstown acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 84% 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 96% of the acres in mapped Woodstown soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (4% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Woodstown soil is found
Mapped acres
Woodstown is mapped in Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, District of Columbia and Pennsylvania.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Kent County, DE | 27,482 | 7.6% |
| Caroline County, MD | 25,290 | 12.4% |
| Sussex County, DE | 18,608 | 3.7% |
| Worcester County, MD | 16,008 | 4.6% |
| Burlington County, NJ | 15,824 | 3.0% |
| Talbot County, MD | 15,183 | 9.2% |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 13,731 | 6.9% |
| Charles County, MD | 13,485 | 4.6% |
| Cumberland County, NJ | 11,948 | 3.8% |
| Gloucester County, NJ | 11,946 | 5.8% |
| Calvert County, MD | 10,810 | 7.9% |
| Salem County, NJ | 10,383 | 5.2% |
| St. Mary's County, MD | 8,422 | 3.6% |
| Dorchester County, MD | 7,740 | 2.2% |
| Kent County, MD | 7,638 | 4.4% |
| Wicomico County, MD | 7,187 | 3.0% |
| New Castle County, DE | 6,672 | 2.6% |
| Atlantic County, NJ | 5,449 | 1.4% |
| Monmouth County, NJ | 5,378 | 1.8% |
| Prince George's County, MD | 5,299 | 1.7% |
| Harford County, MD | 4,125 | 1.5% |
| Cecil County, MD | 4,110 | 2.0% |
| Mercer County, NJ | 4,066 | 2.9% |
| Northumberland County, VA | 3,681 | 3.6% |
| Camden County, NJ | 3,614 | 2.5% |
| Queen Anne's County, MD | 3,545 | 1.5% |
| Lancaster County, VA | 3,368 | 5.9% |
| Somerset County, MD | 3,267 | 2.6% |
| Anne Arundel County, MD | 3,185 | 1.1% |
| Baltimore County, MD | 3,077 | 0.8% |
| Mathews County, VA | 2,993 | 8.4% |
| Fairfax County, VA | 977 | 0.4% |
| King George County, VA | 878 | 0.9% |
| Stafford County, VA | 443 | 0.3% |
| District of Columbia, DC | 409 | 1.0% |
| Howard County, MD | 371 | 0.2% |
| Alexandria city, VA | 346 | 3.9% |
| Baltimore city, MD | 329 | 0.6% |
| Delaware County, PA | 236 | 0.2% |
| Ocean County, NJ | 219 | 0.0% |
| Cape May County, NJ | 89 | 0.1% |
| Arlington County, VA | 34 | 0.2% |
| Bucks County, PA | 27 | 0.0% |
| Chester County, PA | 14 | 0.0% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 11 | 0.0% |
| Prince William County, VA | 9 | 0.0% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 7 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Woodstown acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 95.9% |
| Not rated | 4.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Woodstown 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 1–4% (median 1%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.9%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 97.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 3.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 13.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 83.8% |
| 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 | 3.0% |
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 Woodstown (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 287,914 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Woodstown components. The profile comes from the single largest Woodstown component. Full methodology.