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 Pickens County, Georgia
EPA puts Pickens County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 37.6% of its 133 reported radon tests (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) 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
37.6%
12.8 pts above GA
- Pickens
- 37.6%
- Georgia
- 24.8%
133 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.1pCi/L
Below action level
- Pickens
- 3.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
133
32nd of 57 by tests
- Pickens
- 133
- Fulton
- 4,858
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
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 Georgia
12 of 57
Top quarter
- Pickens
- 37.6%
- Barrow
- 48.3%
By share, of 57 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Pickens County
Starts at Pickens County's median, 3.1 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.1 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. Pickens County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Pickens County, At a glance
Pickens County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Pickens 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 Pickens County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 31%2 to 4 pCi/L: 32%4 pCi/L and above: 37%
Of 133 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 41 | 30.8% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 42 | 31.6% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 50 | 37.6% |
What these figures count
These are the 133 tests reported to CDC for Pickens County over 2008 to 2017 (laboratory totals), 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: 2008 to 2017, laboratory. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).
Pickens County, Compared
Pickens County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Pickens County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (50 of 133) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 1.9 points higher. Across 129 Georgia counties pooled together, 24.8% of tests reached that level, so Pickens County runs 12.8 points above its state.
Of 5 neighbours with a figure, 1 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 4 a smaller one; the spread is 17.6% (Cherokee County) to 46.6% (Gilmer County). By share, Pickens County is 12th of 57 Georgia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.1 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 26.5 pCi/L. Below the action level, 41 tests (30.8%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 44.0% statewide, and 42 tests (31.6%) fell between 2 and 4, against 31.2% statewide.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 37.6% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
CDC's ten-year totals for Pickens County went from 82 tests (2005 to 2014) to 133 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 40.2% to 37.6%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Pickens County, Geology
The ground under Pickens County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Pickens County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Georgiabama Thrust Stack (North), to which USGS gives a radon index of 9, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgiabama Thrust Stack (North) | Gneiss, phyllite, and schist. | Moderate | 9 | 100% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Pickens County beside the ground around it
Pickens County has more moderate-potential ground than Georgia as a whole: 100% of its land against 26.5%. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of moderate-potential ground; Dawson County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Pickens County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Pickens County
- Georgia's radon programGeorgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection DivisionGeorgia's radon program does not license radon professionals and offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Georgia.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
A kit costs $15.00 if mailed or $10.00 if picked up at a participating County Extension office.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Georgia3 professionals are listed in Georgia.
What Georgia's program says
- Licensing of radon professionals
There are no laws mandating a mitigator receive certification in Georgia, however, many mitigators choose to get certified by one of two national programs.
What it means
Pickens County, Questions
Questions about radon in Pickens County
Are radon levels high in Pickens County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 37.6% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Pickens County, Georgia were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.1 pCi/L. Of 57 Georgia counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 11 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 24.8%.
Which counties border Pickens County?
Pickens County borders 5 counties: Gilmer County, Dawson County, Cherokee County, Gordon County and Bartow County.
Products
Pickens County, Products
Testing a home in Pickens County
In Pickens County, 37.6% of 133 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 24.8% pooled across Georgia. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Pickens 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
RadonPro Wi-Fi radon monitor with a built-in Geiger counter
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Wi-Fi
- Alarm
- Screen, app
First reading: Within 5 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Pickens County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Pickens County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Gilmer CountyEPA zone 2
46.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.8 pCi/L · 290 tests · 9.0 points above Pickens County
- Radon levels in Gordon CountyEPA zone 3
31.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 35 tests · 6.2 points below Pickens County
- Radon levels in Bartow CountyEPA zone 2
24.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.2 pCi/L · 177 tests · 12.7 points below Pickens County
- Radon levels in Dawson CountyEPA zone 2
21.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.1 pCi/L · 142 tests · 15.8 points below Pickens County
- Radon levels in Cherokee CountyEPA zone 2
17.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.0 pCi/L · 1,154 tests · 20.0 points below Pickens County
Pickens County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Pickens County
Pickens County is growing: the Census Bureau puts it at 37,167 residents on July 1, 2025, up 11.4% from 33,351 in 2020. That works out to 160 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Jasper, the largest, has 5,400 residents, 14.5% of the total. CDC's 133 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 3.6 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Georgia's 2.7.
From Jasper to Talking Rock, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Pickens County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper | 5,400 | +31.5% | 14.5% |
| Nelsonextends beyond Pickens County | 1,172 | +1.8% | Counted whole |
| Talking Rock | 127 | +27.0% | 0.3% |
3 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 Pickens County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Pickens County, Homes
Homes in Pickens County
Pickens County is a place of houses on their own lots: 78% of its 15,245 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Georgia. Half of its homes were built before 1995, close to Georgia's 1991: 9% date from before 1960 and 37% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 78% of the occupied homes (Georgia: 65%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Pickens County | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 15,245 | 4,483,873 |
| Detached houses | 78% | 66% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 16% |
| Mobile homes | 14% | 8% |
| Built before 1960 | 9% | 12% |
| Built since 2000 | 37% | 33% |
| Middle year built | 1995 | 1991 |
| Owner-occupied | 78% | 65% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.