HomeSoil seriesFrederick
Frederick soil series
Frederick soils cover 1,132,252 mapped acres, mostly in Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia. USDA rates shrink-swell a limit for houses without basements on 23% of that land, and a shallow water table a limit for basements on 0%.
It is the leading soil series by area in 15 of the counties and cities on this site, including Green County, KY; Washington County, VA; Staunton city, VA.
SSURGO survey versions to August 5, 2026 · series description revised 2002-02
of its land: shrink-swell limits houses without basements
of its land: a shallow water table limits basements
median highest linear extensibility (6% and up is high)
median highest clay content in the top 150 cm
USDA's description
The Frederick series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in residuum derived mainly from dolomitic limestone with interbeds of sandstone, siltstone, and shale. They are on are nearly level to very steep uplands. Permeability is moderate. Slopes range from 0 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 42 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 55 degrees F.
Source: USDA NRCS series description (OSD) for Frederick, revised 2002-02. Read it.
Engineering properties
| Mapped area (SSURGO) | 1,132,252 acres |
| Shrink-swell limits houses without basements | 23.4% |
| Shallow water table limits basements | 0.0% |
| Very limited for septic absorption fields | 54.4% |
| Most common drainage class | Well drained |
| Most common hydrologic soil group | B |
| Taxonomic class | Fine, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Paleudults |
| Type location | Smyth County, Virginia |
Where Frederick is mapped
| State | Mapped acres |
|---|---|
| Virginia | 666,805 |
| Kentucky | 359,191 |
| West Virginia | 56,977 |
| Indiana | 39,200 |
| Tennessee | 10,080 |
Places where Frederick leads
Counties and cities where Frederick covers more mapped land than any other series.
| Place | Share of mapped land |
|---|---|
| Green County, KY | 47% |
| Washington County, VA | 28% |
| Staunton city, VA | 26% |
| Taylor County, KY | 24% |
| Lee County, VA | 23% |
| Smyth County, VA | 20% |
| Rockbridge County, VA | 20% |
| Winchester city, VA | 17% |
| Botetourt County, VA | 17% |
| Pulaski County, KY | 17% |
| Wythe County, VA | 17% |
| Augusta County, VA | 15% |
| Shenandoah County, VA | 13% |
| Rockingham County, VA | 13% |
| Waynesboro city, VA | 9% |
Other places where Frederick is a main soil
Counties and cities where Frederick is among the six soil series covering the most mapped land, but not the first. Share of the place's mapped land.
Counties
- Giles County, VA 28%
- Adair County, KY 20%
- Harrisonburg city, VA 17%
- Tazewell County, VA 14%
- Bristol city, VA 14%
- Russell County, KY 12%
- Bland County, VA 11%
- Lawrence County, IN 11%
- Roanoke city, VA 10%
- Buena Vista city, VA 10%
- Wayne County, KY 8%
- Russell County, VA 8%
- Scott County, VA 8%
- Frederick County, VA 7%
- Monroe County, WV 7%
- Hart County, KY 7%
- Roanoke County, VA 6%
- Clay County, TN 6%
- Casey County, KY 6%
- Rockcastle County, KY 5%
Sources
Shares and properties: USDA NRCS SSURGO via Soil Data Access, weighted by each component's share of its map units. Description: the USDA NRCS series description. How we count.