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Radon Levels in Bent County, Colorado

EPA puts Bent County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and most reported tests there come back low, though 3.7% of 108 (2023) reached 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.

Data checked By Radon411Methodology

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    3.7%

    35.2 pts below CO

    Bent
    3.7%
    Colorado
    38.9%

    108 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    0.1pCi/L

    Below action level

    Bent
    0.1 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    108

    27th of 38 by tests

    Bent
    108
    Jefferson
    3,068

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Colorado

    38 of 38

    Lowest quarter

    Bent
    3.7%
    Park
    57.5%

    By share, of 38 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Bent County

Starts at Bent County's median, 0.1 pCi/L

0.2pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 0.2 pCi/L

Below 2 pCi/L

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 4 and aboveEPA says fix it

This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. 0.1 pCi/L above Bent County's median of 0.1 pCi/L.

Interpret this reading

The data

Bent County, At a glance

Bent County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Bent County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: High across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Bent County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Bent County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Bent County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
2014100.0%
2015100.0%
2016100.0%
201716.7%
201833.3%
20190.0%
202035.7%
20210.0%
20220.0%
20233.7%

2023: 3.7%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 100.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 108 tests reported to CDC for Bent County over 2023, many from homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: they describe the county's reported tests, not this house.

Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Bent County, Compared

Bent County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Only 4 of 108 radon tests reported for Bent County in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L (3.7%). The median result, 0.1 pCi/L, sits below 2, well under EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 6.1 pCi/L.

Across 61 Colorado counties pooled together, 38.9% of tests reached that level, so Bent County runs 35.2 points below its state. Against the national pool of 33.4%, the gap is 29.7 points lower. Its place in the state: 38th of 38 Colorado counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.

The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 1 label for Bent County (predicted average above 4 pCi/L): 3.7% of them reached 4 pCi/L, fewer than that label suggests. Las Animas County, the one bordering county with a figure for the same period, reported 19.4%.

Below the action level, 100 tests (92.6%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 39.2% statewide, and 4 tests (3.7%) fell between 2 and 4, against 22.0% statewide. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential.

The busiest year on file was 2023, with 108 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 1.

Bent County against Colorado, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Bent County
Bent County1083.7%0.1 pCi/LThis county
Colorado, pooled61 counties, pooled21,80238.9%Not pooled+35.2 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled+29.7 points
Park Countyhighest in the state10657.5%4.6 pCi/L+53.8 points
Mesa Countylowest in the state56718.9%2.2 pCi/L+15.2 points
Prowers County, COborders it1984.2%5.9 pCi/L+80.5 points
Otero County, COborders it633.3%2.8 pCi/L+29.6 points
Las Animas County, COborders it9319.4%1.1 pCi/L+15.7 points
Where Bent County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Colorado and the United States
ResultBent County testsBent County shareColorado shareU.S. shareAgainst Colorado
Under 2 pCi/L10092.6%39.2%41.4%+53.4 points
2 to 4 pCi/L43.7%22.0%25.2%−18.3 points
4 pCi/L and above43.7%38.9%33.4%−35.2 points
Bent County ranked among the 38 Colorado counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2023
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Douglas County28 of 381,63535.8%2.4 pCi/L
Denver County29 of 382,27735.4%2.8 pCi/L
Gunnison County30 of 3814734.7%2.5 pCi/L
El Paso County31 of 381,84434.4%2.5 pCi/L
Boulder County32 of 381,96334.2%2.5 pCi/L
Montezuma County33 of 387233.3%3.0 pCi/L
Huerfano County34 of 385328.3%1.3 pCi/L
Gilpin County35 of 3812926.4%1.1 pCi/L
Las Animas County36 of 389319.4%1.1 pCi/L
Mesa County37 of 3856718.9%2.2 pCi/L
Bent County38 of 381083.7%0.1 pCi/L
Bent County radon tests by year, against Colorado's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestColorado, pooledChange from the row before
20231083.7%0.1 pCi/L6.1 pCi/L38.9%+3.7 points
202210.0%2.7 pCi/L2.7 pCi/L38.6%Level
202120.0%0.7 pCi/L0.7 pCi/L47.3%−35.7 points
20201435.7%1.4 pCi/L7.4 pCi/L41.9%+35.7 points
201920.0%1.6 pCi/L2.6 pCi/L44.1%−33.3 points
2018633.3%3.1 pCi/L8.5 pCi/L44.2%+16.6 points
2017616.7%1.5 pCi/L5.7 pCi/L41.0%−83.3 points
20161100.0%4.0 pCi/L4.0 pCi/L38.5%Level
20151100.0%8.5 pCi/L8.5 pCi/L47.2%Level
20142100.0%8.4 pCi/L12.8 pCi/L46.5%First on file

Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.

Bent County, State data

Colorado's own radon test data

Measured

What Colorado's own agencies publish about radon tests in Bent County, with their period. These are not CDC's figures and are never added to them.

MeasuredState figures, not CDC's

What Colorado CDPHE reports for Bent County

Radon data (county results): radon test results received from radon testing labs, primarily short-term household tests taken by the homeowner. Period: 2005-2025.

Share over 4 pCi/L

17.2%

27 of 157 tests

Median result

0.4 pCi/L

Highest result

47.0 pCi/L

Tests behind these figures

157 tests

  • CDPHE says these data do not give actual radon levels in homes that have not been tested.
  • When possible, only tests conducted before a mitigation system was installed are used.
  • Some counties have very small numbers of test results, and their summaries may be less representative.
  • These figures describe tests reported to Colorado CDPHE in this area. They count a different set of tests than CDC's figures and are not a reading of any one home.

Measured: Colorado CDPHE data, 2005-2025.

Bent County, Geology

The ground under Bent County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Bent County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. 98.8% of it lies in the area the map calls High Plains, to which USGS gives a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Bent County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
High PlainsQuaternary deposits and Cretaceous marine shales that locally have a high radiometric signature.High1298.8%
Ogallala FormationTertiary sandstone, in part covered by windblown eolian sand and loess deposits.High121.2%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

Bent County beside the ground around it

Bent County has more high-potential ground than Colorado as a whole: 100% of its land against 74.8%. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Otero County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Bent County, the 5 counties bordering it and Colorado
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Bent CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Kiowa CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Otero CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Prowers CountyZone 1None1.9%98.1%
Las Animas CountyZone 1None17.4%82.6%
Baca CountyZone 1None2.2%97.8%
Colorado64 counties, pooled by land areaVariesNone25.2%74.8%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Bent County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Bent County

What Colorado's program says
Licensing of radon professionals
Listed contractors are certified by the National Radon Proficiency Program or the National Radon Safety Board, and must be licensed by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Disclosure when a home is sold or rented
As of August 7, 2023, landlords in Colorado are required to disclose radon information when a tenant signs a lease agreement.

What it means

Bent County, Questions

Questions about radon in Bent County

Are radon levels high in Bent County?

In 2023, 3.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Bent County, Colorado were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 0.1 pCi/L. Of 38 Colorado counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 37 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 38.9%.

Which counties border Bent County?

Bent County borders 5 counties: Kiowa County, Otero County, Prowers County, Las Animas County and Baca County.

Products

Bent County, Products

Testing a home in Bent County

In Bent County, 3.7% of 108 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 38.9% pooled across Colorado. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Bent County is the one to know: a long-term test (more than 90 days) or a monitor, with a short-term kit for a first answer.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Bent County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Bent County

Explore

Bent County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Bent County

Calculated by Radon411

Bent County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Bent County

The Census Bureau estimates 5,716 residents in Bent County for July 1, 2025, 244 more than in 2020 (+4.5%). Spread over its land, that is 3.8 people to the square mile. Las Animas, its one incorporated place, has 2,325 residents, 40.7% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 108 reported tests for 2023 come to 18.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 3.6 for Colorado.

Las Animas is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Bent County's.

Las Animas, Bent County: residents on July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Las Animas2,325+1.3%40.7%

One incorporated place, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025).

Bent County, Homes

Homes in Bent County

Bent County is a place of houses on their own lots: 80% of its 2,163 homes are detached single-family houses, against 62% across Colorado. The homes are older than Colorado's as a whole: half were built before 1961 (1987 for Colorado), and 49% date from before 1960. 66% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Colorado: 66%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Bent County, Colorado, 2019 to 2023
HomesBent CountyColorado
Housing units2,1632,545,124
Detached houses80%62%
In buildings of 5 or more5%22%
Mobile homes10%4%
Built before 196049%16%
Built since 20005%31%
Middle year built19611987
Owner-occupied66%66%

Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.