Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in El Paso County, Colorado
EPA puts El Paso County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and 34.4% of its 1,844 reported radon tests (2023) were at or above 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
34.4%
4.5 pts below CO
- El Paso
- 34.4%
- Colorado
- 38.9%
1,844 tests, 2023
Median result
2.5pCi/L
Below action level
- El Paso
- 2.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2023
Tests reported
1,844
6th of 38 by tests
- El Paso
- 1,844
- Jefferson
- 3,068
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Colorado
31 of 38
Lowest quarter
- El Paso
- 34.4%
- Park
- 57.5%
By share, of 38 with 30+ tests
Read a result for El Paso County
Starts at El Paso County's median, 2.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.5 pCi/L
Between 2 and 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. El Paso County's median reported result, 2023.
The data
El Paso County, At a glance
El Paso County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of El Paso County in
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 El Paso County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 38.4% |
| 2015 | 43.2% |
| 2016 | 30.6% |
| 2017 | 29.7% |
| 2018 | 37.0% |
| 2019 | 36.1% |
| 2020 | 36.0% |
| 2021 | 37.1% |
| 2022 | 40.3% |
| 2023 | 34.4% |
2023: 34.4%. Across these years the share ran from 29.7% to 43.2%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
These are the 1,844 tests reported to CDC for El Paso 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).
El Paso County, Compared
El Paso County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In El Paso County, about 3 in 10 reported tests in 2023 (635 of 1,844) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 33.4%, the gap is 1.0 points higher. Across 61 Colorado counties pooled together, 38.9% of tests reached that level, so El Paso County runs 4.5 points below its state.
Of 5 neighbours with a figure, all 5 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 35.8% (Douglas County) to 56.8% (Teller County). By share, El Paso County is 31st of 38 Colorado counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 38.4% and 2023 closed at 34.4% (down 4.0 points), with 2015 the high at 43.2%. Half the tests came in under 2.5 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 113.8 pCi/L. Below the action level, 744 tests (40.3%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 39.2% statewide, and 465 tests (25.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 22.0% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 34.4% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential. CDC also counts 434 tests taken after mitigation in El Paso County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
The busiest year on file was 2019, with 3,491 tests reported; the quietest, 2014, had 593.
El Paso CountyColorado, pooled
| Year | Tests | El Paso County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Colorado, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 593 | 38.4% | 46.5% |
| 2015 | 1,184 | 43.2% | 47.2% |
| 2016 | 935 | 30.6% | 38.5% |
| 2017 | 839 | 29.7% | 41.0% |
| 2018 | 2,938 | 37.0% | 44.2% |
| 2019 | 3,491 | 36.1% | 44.1% |
| 2020 | 2,436 | 36.0% | 41.9% |
| 2021 | 2,781 | 37.1% | 47.3% |
| 2022 | 2,655 | 40.3% | 38.6% |
| 2023 | 1,844 | 34.4% | 38.9% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
El Paso County, State data
Colorado's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Colorado's own agencies publish about radon tests in El Paso 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 El Paso 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
38.6%
9,736 of 25,211 tests
Median result
2.9 pCi/L
Highest result
548.0 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
25,211 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.
El Paso County, Geology
The ground under El Paso County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of El Paso County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 62.0% of El Paso County in the area it calls High Plains and 24.8% in Dawson Arkose, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 12 and the second 14, both in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Plains | Quaternary deposits and Cretaceous marine shales that locally have a high radiometric signature. | High | 12 | 62.0% |
| Dawson Arkose | Consolidated alluvial fan and river deposits sourced in the granite mountains to the west. | High | 14 | 24.8% |
| Rocky Mountains | Precambrian granites, gneiss, amphibolite, variable uranium content, abundant shear zones.Sedimentary rocks shed from the granitic highlands. | High | 15 | 13.2% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
El Paso County beside the ground around it
El Paso County has more high-potential ground than Colorado as a whole: 100% of its land against 74.8%. Of the 7 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Crowley County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
El Paso County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in El Paso County
- Colorado's radon programColorado Department of Public Health and EnvironmentColorado's radon program licenses or certifies radon professionals, offers free or discounted test kits and states the rule for disclosing radon when a home is sold, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Colorado.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Order a discounted radon test kit
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Colorado25 professionals are listed in Colorado.
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
El Paso County, Questions
Questions about radon in El Paso County
Are radon levels high in El Paso County?
In 2023, 34.4% of the radon tests reported to CDC for El Paso County, Colorado were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.5 pCi/L. Of 38 Colorado counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 30 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 38.9%.
Which counties border El Paso County?
El Paso County borders 7 counties: Teller County, Douglas County, Elbert County, Fremont County, Pueblo County, Crowley County and Lincoln County.
Products
El Paso County, Products
Testing a home in El Paso County
In El Paso County, 34.4% of 1,844 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 38.9% pooled across Colorado. In Zone 1 the year-round level in El Paso 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
MonitorAranet
Radon One battery digital radon monitor with an e-ink screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Bluetooth
- Alarm
- Screen, app
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
Short-term kitKidde
442020 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 3 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
El Paso County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like El Paso County
Explore
El Paso County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering El Paso County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Lincoln CountyEPA zone 1
57.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 7 tests · 22.7 points above El Paso County
- Radon levels in Teller CountyEPA zone 1
56.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.9 pCi/L · 162 tests · 22.4 points above El Paso County
- Radon levels in Fremont CountyEPA zone 1
50.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 66 tests · 15.6 points above El Paso County
- Radon levels in Elbert CountyEPA zone 1
45.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.9 pCi/L · 120 tests · 11.4 points above El Paso County
- Radon levels in Pueblo CountyEPA zone 1
44.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 342 tests · 10.0 points above El Paso County
- Radon levels in Douglas CountyEPA zone 1
35.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 1,635 tests · 1.4 points above El Paso County
- Radon levels in Crowley CountyEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
El Paso County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in El Paso County
The Census Bureau estimates 757,040 residents in El Paso County for July 1, 2025, 23,319 more than in 2020 (+3.2%). That works out to 356 people per square mile of land. Colorado Springs alone is home to 494,743 of them, 65.4% of the total. CDC's 1,844 reported tests for 2023 work out to 2.4 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Colorado's 3.6.
From Colorado Springs to Ramah, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads El Paso County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Springs | 494,743 | +2.8% | 65.4% |
| Fountain | 29,450 | −1.4% | 3.9% |
| Monument | 13,813 | +32.5% | 1.8% |
| Manitou Springs | 4,577 | −6.2% | 0.6% |
| Palmer Lake | 2,591 | −2.5% | 0.3% |
| Calhan | 727 | −5.0% | Under 0.1% |
| Green Mountain Fallsextends beyond El Paso County | 601 | −7.1% | Counted whole |
| Ramah | 105 | −5.4% | Under 0.1% |
Places in El Paso County with a city page: 1 of 1
8 incorporated places, 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). A place that extends beyond El Paso County is counted whole, so it has no share.
El Paso County, Homes
Homes in El Paso County
Of El Paso County's 296,753 homes, 67% are detached houses, against 62% across Colorado; 17% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1988, close to Colorado's 1987: 12% date from before 1960 and 33% from 2000 or later. 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 | El Paso County | Colorado |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 296,753 | 2,545,124 |
| Detached houses | 67% | 62% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 17% | 22% |
| Mobile homes | 3% | 4% |
| Built before 1960 | 12% | 16% |
| Built since 2000 | 33% | 31% |
| Middle year built | 1988 | 1987 |
| Owner-occupied | 66% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.