Skip to content
RADON411

Locations and reports

Radon Levels in Ford County, Illinois

EPA puts Ford County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 57.1% of the 42 radon tests reported to CDC (2017) came back 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

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    57.1%

    23.4 pts above IL

    Ford
    57.1%
    Illinois
    33.7%

    42 tests, 2017

  • Median result

    4.0pCi/L

    Action level reached

    Ford
    4.0 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2017

  • Tests reported

    42

    64th of 70 by tests

    Ford
    42
    Cook
    26,937

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2017

  • 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 Illinois

    9 of 70

    Top quarter

    Ford
    57.1%
    Stark
    69.2%

    By share, of 70 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Ford County

Starts at Ford County's median, 4.0 pCi/L

4.0pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 4.0 pCi/L

At or above 4 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 at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. Ford County's median reported result, 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Ford County, At a glance

Ford County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Ford 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 99% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Ford County, 2017

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Ford County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Ford County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201460.0%
201550.0%
201757.1%

2017: 57.1%. Across these years the share ran from 50.0% to 60.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 42 tests reported to CDC for Ford County over 2017, 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: 2017. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Ford County, Compared

Ford County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

More than half: 57.1% of the 42 radon tests reported to CDC for Ford County in 2017 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 9th of 70 Illinois counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 23.4 points above the 33.7% pooled from 93 Illinois counties.

The median result, 4.0 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 15.6 pCi/L. The rest split 28.6% under 2 pCi/L and 14.3% from 2 to 4 (Illinois: 37.7% and 28.6%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 57.1% share point the same way here.

1 of its 6 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Livingston County at 61.7%; Iroquois County reported 25.0%. Statewide for the same period, Stark County reported the highest share (69.2%) and Williamson County the lowest (8.4%).

The busiest year on file was 2015, with 48 tests reported; the quietest, 2014, had 30.

Over 3 years of annual figures the share fell 2.9 points, from 60.0% in 2014 to 57.1% in 2017; its peak was 60.0% in 2014. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 31.7%; Ford County sits 25.4 points above it.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Ford County against Illinois2014 to 2017, years with 30 or more tests: Ford County 60.0% to 57.1%, the state's pooled share 33.7% in 2017.
Ford CountyIllinois, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Ford County against Illinois: data table
YearTestsFord County, at or above 4 pCi/LIllinois, pooled
20143060.0%37.8%
20154850.0%36.6%
20174257.1%33.7%
Ford County against Illinois, the United States and nearby counties, 2017
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Ford County
Ford County4257.1%4.0 pCi/LThis county
Illinois, pooled93 counties, pooled138,00633.7%Not pooled−23.4 points
United States, pooled937 counties, pooled528,06231.7%Not pooled−25.4 points
Stark Countyhighest in the state3969.2%5.8 pCi/L+12.1 points
Williamson Countylowest in the state2498.4%0.9 pCi/L−48.7 points
Livingston County, ILborders it34561.7%5.3 pCi/L+4.6 points
Vermilion County, ILborders it3953.8%4.7 pCi/L−3.3 points
Champaign County, ILborders it3,15944.7%3.4 pCi/L−12.4 points
McLean County, ILborders it4,54842.5%3.3 pCi/L−14.6 points
Kankakee County, ILborders it52231.6%2.7 pCi/L−25.5 points
Iroquois County, ILborders it3625.0%1.9 pCi/L−32.1 points
Where Ford County's reported results fell, 2017, beside Illinois and the United States
ResultFord County testsFord County shareIllinois shareU.S. shareAgainst Illinois
Under 2 pCi/L1228.6%37.7%43.5%−9.1 points
2 to 4 pCi/L614.3%28.6%24.8%−14.3 points
4 pCi/L and above2457.1%33.7%31.7%+23.4 points
Ford County ranked among the 70 Illinois counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2017
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Carroll County5 of 7021062.9%5.5 pCi/L
Livingston County6 of 7034561.7%5.3 pCi/L
Bureau County7 of 7033358.6%5.1 pCi/L
Stephenson County8 of 7051957.2%4.8 pCi/L
De Witt County9 of 7012657.1%5.2 pCi/L
Ford County9 of 704257.1%4.0 pCi/L
Knox County11 of 7024956.6%4.7 pCi/L
Henry County12 of 7042055.7%4.6 pCi/L
McDonough County12 of 7021055.7%4.3 pCi/L
Piatt County14 of 7027954.8%4.3 pCi/L
Vermilion County15 of 703953.8%4.7 pCi/L
Ford County radon tests by year, against Illinois' pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestIllinois, pooledChange from the row before
20174257.1%4.0 pCi/L15.6 pCi/L33.7%+7.1 points
20154850.0%3.8 pCi/L26.1 pCi/L36.6%−10.0 points
20143060.0%5.0 pCi/L6.1 pCi/L37.8%First on file

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

Ford County, Geology

The ground under Ford County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Ford County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 99.2% of its land is high radon potential, with 0.8% moderate. 99.2% of it lies in the area the map calls Bloomington Ridged Plain, to which USGS gives a radon index of 13, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Ford County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Bloomington Ridged PlainWisconsinan glacial deposits and loess over Paleozoic sedimentary rocks.High1399.2%
Kankakee PlainEolian quartz sand deposits.Moderate110.8%

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

Ford County beside the ground around it

Ford County has more high-potential ground than Illinois as a whole: 99.2% of its land against 64.5%. Of the 6 counties that border it, 4 have more high-potential ground, Champaign County the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Ford County, the 6 counties bordering it and Illinois
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Ford CountyZone 1None0.8%99.2%
Iroquois CountyZone 1None32.0%68.0%
Livingston CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Kankakee CountyZone 2None37.1%62.9%
McLean CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Vermilion CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Champaign CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Illinois102 counties, pooled by land areaVaries0.9%34.5%64.5%

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

Local help

Ford County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Ford County

What Illinois's program says
Phone
(800) 325-1245
Licensing of radon professionals
The Agency also licenses and regulates the individuals who provide radon measurement and mitigation to the public.
Disclosure when a home is sold or rented
Illinois Radon Awareness Act - This is the legislation that requires the seller to provide to the buyer of any interest in residential real property the IEMA-OHS pamphlet entitled "Radon Testing Guidelines for Real Estate Transactions" and the Illinois Disclosure of Information on Radon Hazards.

What it means

Ford County, Questions

Questions about radon in Ford County

Are radon levels high in Ford County?

In 2017, 57.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Ford County, Illinois were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.0 pCi/L. Of 70 Illinois counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 8 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 33.7%.

Which counties border Ford County?

Ford County borders 6 counties: Iroquois County, Livingston County, Kankakee County, McLean County, Vermilion County and Champaign County.

Products

Ford County, Products

Testing a home in Ford County

In Ford County, 57.1% of 42 tests reported to CDC in 2017 reached 4 pCi/L, against 33.7% pooled across Illinois. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Ford 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

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

Explore

Ford County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Ford County

Calculated by Radon411

Ford County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Ford County

About 13,216 people live in Ford County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 303 fewer than in 2020 (−2.2%). That works out to 27 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Paxton, has 4,323 residents, 32.7% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 42 tests over 2017, or 3.2 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Illinois as a whole comes to 10.9.

From Paxton to Kempton, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Ford County's.

The cities and towns in Ford County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Paxton4,323−2.7%32.7%
Gibson City3,371−2.8%25.5%
Piper City722−3.0%5.5%
Melvin412−1.2%3.1%
Roberts340−0.9%2.6%
Sibley284−1.0%2.1%
Elliott272−1.8%2.1%
Caberyextends beyond Ford County229−1.7%Counted whole
Kempton176−1.1%1.3%

9 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 Ford County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Ford County, Homes

Homes in Ford County

Ford County is a place of houses on their own lots: 81% of its 6,263 homes are detached single-family houses, against 58% across Illinois. The homes are older than Illinois' as a whole: half were built before 1955 (1970 for Illinois), and 59% date from before 1960. 74% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Illinois: 67%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Ford County, Illinois, 2019 to 2023
HomesFord CountyIllinois
Housing units6,2635,443,501
Detached houses81%58%
In buildings of 5 or more6%22%
Mobile homes3%2%
Built before 196059%38%
Built since 20008%16%
Middle year built19551970
Owner-occupied74%67%

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