Short-term kit
RA100 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Porter County, Indiana
EPA puts Porter County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and high results are common there: 46.5% of the 1,136 radon tests reported to CDC (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
46.5%
7.6 pts above IN
- Porter
- 46.5%
- Indiana
- 38.9%
1,136 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Porter
- 3.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
1,136
13th of 69 by tests
- Porter
- 1,136
- St. Joseph
- 7,346
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 Indiana
25 of 69
Middle half
- Porter
- 46.5%
- Miami
- 63.3%
By share, of 69 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Porter County
Starts at Porter County's median, 3.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.5 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. Porter County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Porter County, At a glance
Porter County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Porter 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 Porter County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 31%2 to 4 pCi/L: 23%4 pCi/L and above: 46%
Of 1,136 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 346 | 30.5% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 262 | 23.1% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 528 | 46.5% |
What these figures count
These are the 1,136 tests reported to CDC for Porter 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).
Porter County, Compared
Porter County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Porter County, about 5 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (528 of 1,136) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 10.8 points higher. Across 92 Indiana counties pooled together, 38.9% of tests reached that level, so Porter County runs 7.6 points above its state.
Of 3 neighbours with a figure, 1 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 2 a smaller one; the spread is 14.1% (Jasper County) to 58.2% (LaPorte County). By share, Porter County is 25th of 69 Indiana counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.5 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 249.9 pCi/L. Below the action level, 346 tests (30.5%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 32.8% statewide, and 262 tests (23.1%) fell between 2 and 4, against 28.3% statewide.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 46.5% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 108 tests taken after mitigation in Porter County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
CDC's ten-year totals for Porter County went from 827 tests (2005 to 2014) to 1,136 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 42.6% to 46.5%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Porter County, Geology
The ground under Porter County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Porter County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. The map puts 66.7% of Porter County in the area it calls Calumet Lacustrine Plain/Valparaiso Morainal Area and 33.1% in Kankakee Outwash and Lacustrine Plain. USGS gives the first a radon index of 11 and the second 10, both in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calumet Lacustrine Plain/Valparaiso Morainal Area | Silty to clayey glacial lake deposits and sand dunes. | Moderate | 11 | 66.7% |
| Kankakee Outwash and Lacustrine Plain | Moraine deposits, outwash and dune sands. | Moderate | 10 | 33.1% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Porter County beside the ground around it
Across Indiana 56.6% of the land is rated high; none of Porter County's is. Of the 4 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Jasper County the most at 54.0%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Porter County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Porter County
- Indiana's radon programIndiana Department of HealthIndiana's radon program licenses or certifies radon professionals and offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Indiana.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
To purchase a low-cost radon short term or long term test kit, please visit the American Lung Association
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Indiana17 professionals are listed in Indiana.
What Indiana's program says
- Phone
- 1-800-272-9723
- Licensing of radon professionals
According to the Indiana Radon Rule, 410 IAC 5.1, everyone who is serving Indiana by doing radon testing, analysis and mitigation (radon reduction) in residential structures must be certified by the Indiana State Department of Health.
What it means
Porter County, Questions
Questions about radon in Porter County
Are radon levels high in Porter County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 46.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Porter County, Indiana were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.5 pCi/L. Of 69 Indiana counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 24 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 38.9%.
Which counties border Porter County?
Porter County borders 4 counties: Lake County, LaPorte County, Starke County and Jasper County.
Products
Porter County, Products
Testing a home in Porter County
In Porter County, 46.5% of 1,136 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 38.9% pooled across Indiana. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Porter County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-3699 radon monitor with a 2.1-inch touchscreen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 1 hour
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Porter County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Porter County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in LaPorte CountyEPA zone 2
58.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.0 pCi/L · 792 tests · 11.7 points above Porter County
- Radon levels in Lake CountyEPA zone 2
23.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 1,198 tests · 23.0 points below Porter County
- Radon levels in Jasper CountyEPA zone 2
14.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.2 pCi/L · 71 tests · 32.4 points below Porter County
- Radon levels in Starke CountyEPA zone 2
4.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 24 tests · 42.3 points below Porter County
Porter County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Porter County
The Census Bureau estimates 176,049 residents in Porter County for July 1, 2025, 2,730 more than in 2020 (+1.6%). That works out to 421 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Portage, has 38,634 residents, 21.9% of the total. Together its 11 incorporated places hold 59.2% of those residents; the other 40.8% live outside any of them. CDC's 1,136 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 6.5 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Indiana's 6.2.
From Portage to Dune Acres, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Porter County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portage | 38,634 | +1.8% | 21.9% |
| Valparaiso | 35,177 | +3.0% | 20.0% |
| Chesterton | 14,635 | +2.6% | 8.3% |
| Porter | 5,167 | −0.7% | 2.9% |
| Hebron | 3,775 | +0.8% | 2.1% |
| Burns Harbor | 2,146 | +3.6% | 1.2% |
| Kouts | 2,048 | +1.4% | 1.2% |
| Ogden Dunes | 1,163 | −1.4% | 0.7% |
| Beverly Shores | 601 | Level | 0.3% |
| Town of Pines | 590 | −1.0% | 0.3% |
| Dune Acres | 230 | −1.3% | 0.1% |
Places in Porter County with a city page: 1 of 1
11 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).
Porter County, Homes
Homes in Porter County
Of Porter County's 72,102 homes, 75% are detached houses, against 73% across Indiana; 11% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1981, close to Indiana's 1976: 19% date from before 1960 and 23% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 77% of the occupied homes (Indiana: 70%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Porter County | Indiana |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 72,102 | 2,953,344 |
| Detached houses | 75% | 73% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 11% | 13% |
| Mobile homes | 5% | 4% |
| Built before 1960 | 19% | 32% |
| Built since 2000 | 23% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1981 | 1976 |
| Owner-occupied | 77% | 70% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.