Short-term kit
RA400 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Hinsdale County, Colorado
EPA puts Hinsdale County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is on file with CDC (2023). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
80.6%
36.5 pts above CO
- Hinsdale
- 80.6%
- Colorado
- 44.1%
31 tests, 2019
Median result
7.0pCi/L
Action level reached
- Hinsdale
- 7.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2019
Tests reported
31
39th of 40 by tests
- Hinsdale
- 31
- Jefferson
- 4,717
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2019
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Colorado
1 of 40
Top quarter
- Hinsdale
- 80.6%
- Hinsdale
- 80.6%
By share, of 40 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Hinsdale County
Starts at Hinsdale County's median, 7.0 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 7.0 pCi/L
At or above 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. Hinsdale County's median reported result, 2019.
The data
Hinsdale County, At a glance
Hinsdale County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Hinsdale County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 100% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Hinsdale County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 50.0% |
| 2015 | 75.0% |
| 2016 | 100.0% |
| 2017 | 50.0% |
| 2018 | 69.2% |
| 2019 | 80.6% |
| 2020 | 70.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 75.0% |
| 2023 | 100.0% |
2023: 100.0%. 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
Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Hinsdale County over 2023, and tests are often run on homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: so few describe neither the county nor this house.
Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).
Hinsdale County, Compared
Hinsdale County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 80.6% of the 31 radon tests reported to CDC for Hinsdale County in 2019 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 1st of 40 Colorado counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 36.5 points above the 44.1% pooled from 62 Colorado counties.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 1 test (100.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 31-test figure.
The median result, 7.0 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 31.4 pCi/L. The rest split 6.5% under 2 pCi/L and 12.9% from 2 to 4 (Colorado: 33.7% and 22.3%). The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 2 label for Hinsdale County (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L): 80.6% of them reached 4 pCi/L, fewer than that label suggests.
No bordering county with a figure for the same period reported a higher share; the closest is Ouray County at 52.4%, the lowest Archuleta County at 37.0%. Statewide for the same period, Montrose County reported the highest share (66.6%) and Clear Creek County the lowest (21.4%).
The busiest year on file was 2019, with 31 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 1.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 29.0%; Hinsdale County sits 51.6 points above it.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Hinsdale County, State data
Colorado's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Colorado's own agencies publish about radon tests in Hinsdale 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 Hinsdale 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
53.4%
47 of 88 tests
Median result
4.7 pCi/L
Highest result
273.1 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
88 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.
Hinsdale County, Geology
The ground under Hinsdale County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Hinsdale County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. 97.2% of it lies in the area the map calls San Juan Volcanic field, to which USGS gives a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan Volcanic field | Volcanic rocks, rhyolite, tuff, basalt | Moderate | 11 | 97.2% |
| San Juan Basin | Mesozoic marine and non-marine sedimentary rocks including sandstone, siltstone, shale, minor limestone. | Moderate | 11 | 2.9% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Hinsdale County beside the ground around it
Across Colorado 74.8% of the land is rated high; none of Hinsdale County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, 5 have more high-potential ground, Gunnison County the most at 74.1%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Hinsdale County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Hinsdale 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
Hinsdale County, Questions
Questions about radon in Hinsdale County
Are radon levels high in Hinsdale County?
In 2023, 100.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Hinsdale County, Colorado were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 6.8 pCi/L. Of 40 Colorado counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, none reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 44.1%.
Which counties border Hinsdale County?
Hinsdale County borders 7 counties: San Juan County, Mineral County, Ouray County, Archuleta County, La Plata County, Saguache County and Gunnison County.
Products
Hinsdale County, Products
Testing a home in Hinsdale County
In Hinsdale County, 80.6% of 31 tests reported to CDC in 2019 reached 4 pCi/L, against 44.1% pooled across Colorado. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Hinsdale County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL416 long-term radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Monitor
Hello Radon C battery radon monitor with an e-ink screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Screen
Method: Alpha spectrometry
First reading: Within 24 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Hinsdale County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Hinsdale County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Ouray CountyEPA zone 1
52.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 63 tests · 28.2 points below Hinsdale County
- Radon levels in Mineral CountyEPA zone 2
50.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.4 pCi/L · 8 tests · 30.6 points below Hinsdale County
- Radon levels in Gunnison CountyEPA zone 1
46.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 175 tests · 34.3 points below Hinsdale County
- Radon levels in La Plata CountyEPA zone 1
40.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.1 pCi/L · 563 tests · 39.9 points below Hinsdale County
- Radon levels in Archuleta CountyEPA zone 2
37.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.9 pCi/L · 108 tests · 43.6 points below Hinsdale County
- Radon levels in Saguache CountyEPA zone 2
26.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 23 tests · 54.5 points below Hinsdale County
- Radon levels in San Juan CountyEPA zone 2
25.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 4 tests · 55.6 points below Hinsdale County
Hinsdale County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Hinsdale County
About 753 people live in Hinsdale County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 36 fewer than in 2020 (−4.6%). Spread over its land, that is 0.7 people to the square mile. Lake City, its one incorporated place, has 416 residents, 55.2% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 31 reported tests for 2019 come to 41.2 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 5.6 for Colorado.
Lake City is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Hinsdale County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake City | 416 | −5.0% | 55.2% |
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).
Hinsdale County, Homes
Homes in Hinsdale County
Hinsdale County is a place of houses on their own lots: 88% of its 1,384 homes are detached single-family houses, against 62% across Colorado. Half of its homes were built before 1983, close to Colorado's 1987: 17% date from before 1960 and 16% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 80% of the occupied homes (Colorado: 66%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Hinsdale County | Colorado |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 1,384 | 2,545,124 |
| Detached houses | 88% | 62% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 2% | 22% |
| Mobile homes | 6% | 4% |
| Built before 1960 | 17% | 16% |
| Built since 2000 | 16% | 31% |
| Middle year built | 1983 | 1987 |
| Owner-occupied | 80% | 66% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.