HomeSoil seriesHosmer
Hosmer soil series
Hosmer soils cover 898,891 mapped acres, mostly in Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana. USDA rates shrink-swell a limit for houses without basements on 0% of that land, and a shallow water table a limit for basements on over 99%.
It is the leading soil series by area in 11 of the counties and cities on this site, including Massac County, IL; Johnson County, IL; McLean County, KY.
SSURGO survey versions to August 5, 2026 · series description revised 2011-03
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 Hosmer series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in loess on hills. They are moderately deep to a fragipan. Slopes are commonly 2 to 12 percent, but range from 0 to 30 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1068 mm (42 inches) and mean annual temperature is about 14 degrees C (57 degrees F).
Source: USDA NRCS series description (OSD) for Hosmer, revised 2011-03. Read it.
Engineering properties
| Mapped area (SSURGO) | 898,891 acres |
| Shrink-swell limits houses without basements | 0.0% |
| Shallow water table limits basements | 99.9% |
| Very limited for septic absorption fields | 99.9% |
| Most common drainage class | Moderately well drained |
| Most common hydrologic soil group | C/D |
| Taxonomic class | Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Oxyaquic Fragiudalfs |
| Type location | Knox County, Indiana |
Where Hosmer is mapped
| State | Mapped acres |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 348,787 |
| Kentucky | 337,425 |
| Indiana | 212,678 |
Places where Hosmer leads
Counties and cities where Hosmer covers more mapped land than any other series.
| Place | Share of mapped land |
|---|---|
| Massac County, IL | 30% |
| Johnson County, IL | 29% |
| McLean County, KY | 21% |
| Vanderburgh County, IN | 20% |
| Pulaski County, IL | 18% |
| Webster County, KY | 18% |
| Livingston County, KY | 18% |
| Daviess County, KY | 18% |
| Henderson County, KY | 15% |
| Daviess County, IN | 13% |
| Warrick County, IN | 13% |
Other places where Hosmer is a main soil
Counties and cities where Hosmer is among the six soil series covering the most mapped land, but not the first. Share of the place's mapped land.
Counties
- Union County, IL 23%
- Crittenden County, KY 15%
- Gibson County, IN 11%
- Hopkins County, KY 11%
- Pike County, IN 10%
- Hardin County, IL 10%
- Pope County, IL 9%
- Saline County, IL 9%
- Jackson County, IL 7%
- Wabash County, IL 6%
- Gallatin County, IL 6%
- Knox County, IN 6%
- Edwards County, IL 5%
- Spencer County, IN 5%
- Hancock County, KY 5%
- White County, IL 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.