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Radon zones in North Carolina

The EPA assigns every county in North Carolina to one of three radon potential zones. 8 are in Zone 1, the highest category, home to about 6% of the state's residents.

100
Counties
8
Zone 1 counties
Predicted average above 4 pCi/L
31
Zone 2 counties
Predicted average 2-4 pCi/L
61
Zone 3 counties
Predicted average below 2 pCi/L

The map

Radon potential across North Carolina

Every county in North Carolina, filled by the zone the EPA assigns it. Zones follow geology rather than county lines, so the colour usually changes where the bedrock does, not where the border is.

Zone 1 · 8Zone 2 · 31Zone 3 · 61

Hover a county · click to open it

County by county

All 100 North Carolina counties

Zone 1 · > 4 pCi/LZone 2 · 2 - 4 pCi/LZone 3 · < 2 pCi/L
CountyZonePopulationCOPDSmokingLung ca. deaths
Alleghany County111k11.6%17.2%37.6
Buncombe County1276k6.9%12.3%28.5
Cherokee County130k10.8%15.6%38.7
Henderson County1119k8.2%12.7%32.1
Mitchell County115k9.0%14.6%40.3
Rockingham County193k9.7%17.3%49.8
Transylvania County134k8.5%12.0%29.5
Watauga County155k7.0%12.3%25.7
Alexander County236k9.2%16.8%44.0
Ashe County227k10.0%15.5%36.5
Avery County218k9.2%15.8%27.5
Burke County288k9.8%17.0%44.0
Caldwell County281k9.6%17.0%49.6
Caswell County223k9.5%16.9%50.8
Catawba County2165k7.8%14.7%37.2
Clay County212k10.0%13.8%31.7
Cleveland County2101k9.1%16.4%42.0
Forsyth County2393k7.0%13.4%38.5
Franklin County277k7.6%14.8%39.9
Gaston County2237k7.7%15.0%44.4
Graham County28,0529.2%15.7%52.4
Haywood County263k8.7%13.9%38.4
Iredell County2200k6.6%12.9%36.7
Jackson County245k8.2%14.2%27.7
Lincoln County296k7.6%14.0%37.9
Macon County238k10.1%14.9%33.8
Madison County222k8.1%13.9%41.4
McDowell County245k9.6%17.0%47.4
Polk County220k9.4%13.0%25.9
Rutherford County266k10.3%17.3%42.3
Stokes County246k9.4%16.2%43.0
Surry County271k10.1%17.1%47.5
Swain County214k10.3%19.8%45.7
Vance County242k9.4%17.3%46.2
Wake County21.2M4.6%9.6%24.9
Warren County219k11.5%18.6%35.3
Wilkes County266k10.4%17.1%42.0
Yadkin County238k9.5%16.3%48.1
Yancey County219k10.0%15.9%41.0
Alamance County3179k7.4%13.9%43.5
Anson County322k10.5%19.7%44.3
Beaufort County344k10.0%16.1%39.8
Bertie County317k10.7%18.3%42.0
Bladen County329k10.0%16.8%46.2
Brunswick County3160k8.5%12.4%36.3
Cabarrus County3240k5.8%12.4%34.4
Camden County311k6.5%13.1%35.5
Carteret County370k8.1%12.7%42.4
Chatham County382k7.3%11.5%23.7
Chowan County314k10.5%16.8%36.0
Columbus County350k10.0%18.3%49.9
Craven County3102k7.9%14.0%45.8
Cumberland County3338k6.5%14.8%43.9
Currituck County332k6.7%13.2%42.0
Dare County338k7.0%11.4%37.7
Davidson County3175k8.7%15.8%48.4
Davie County345k7.8%13.5%43.4
Duplin County350k9.4%16.3%41.6
Durham County3337k5.1%10.7%26.4
Edgecombe County349k10.0%17.7%45.0
Gates County310k9.5%16.6%47.2
Granville County362k8.0%15.4%39.5
Greene County321k9.6%19.6%40.8
Guilford County3550k6.5%13.0%34.5
Halifax County347k11.5%19.8%45.7
Harnett County3141k7.1%15.3%45.8
Hertford County319k10.2%17.6%45.1
Hoke County354k7.0%16.5%45.7
Hyde County34,60710.8%19.0% -
Johnston County3242k6.6%14.2%46.8
Jones County39,40110.8%18.1%45.9
Lee County367k8.0%15.5%34.7
Lenoir County355k11.1%19.3%45.2
Martin County321k10.6%17.3%44.7
Mecklenburg County31.2M5.0%10.8%25.8
Montgomery County326k9.8%16.4%34.2
Moore County3107k7.0%11.4%33.5
Nash County397k8.3%15.6%38.1
New Hanover County3239k6.5%11.6%32.3
Northampton County317k11.2%17.2%45.0
Onslow County3214k5.6%13.3%54.1
Orange County3151k5.0%9.3%24.0
Pamlico County312k9.6%14.3%36.4
Pasquotank County341k7.2%13.9%38.1
Pender County369k7.3%14.3%42.8
Perquimans County313k9.7%15.2%46.5
Person County340k9.1%16.2%39.3
Pitt County3175k6.7%13.8%37.1
Randolph County3147k9.2%16.7%48.4
Richmond County342k10.6%19.5%58.6
Robeson County3117k11.4%22.5%54.1
Rowan County3152k8.4%15.9%42.3
Sampson County360k9.2%17.2%52.2
Scotland County334k10.9%21.3%53.7
Stanly County366k8.6%16.0%44.1
Tyrrell County33,46110.6%18.1%58.4
Union County3256k5.7%11.9%32.2
Washington County311k12.4%19.0%43.0
Wayne County3119k8.4%16.2%48.2
Wilson County379k9.9%18.0%40.3

Zones from the EPA Map of Radon Zones. COPD and smoking are CDC PLACES model-based estimates of adult prevalence. Lung cancer death rates are age-adjusted deaths per 100,000 per year, 2019-2023, from NCI State Cancer Profiles. A dash means the source does not report a value for that county.

Highest potential

Zone 1 counties in North Carolina

These 8 counties have a predicted average indoor radon screening level above the EPA action level. The EPA recommends every home in them be tested.

Other states

Radon zones elsewhere