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 Allamakee County, Iowa
EPA puts Allamakee County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 73.2% of the 492 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
73.2%
14.7 pts above IA
- Allamakee
- 73.2%
- Iowa
- 58.5%
492 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
7.0pCi/L
Action level reached
- Allamakee
- 7.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
492
49th of 99 by tests
- Allamakee
- 492
- Polk
- 10,945
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Iowa
16 of 99
Top quarter
- Allamakee
- 73.2%
- Sioux
- 84.2%
By share, of 99 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Allamakee County
Starts at Allamakee 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. Allamakee County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Allamakee County, At a glance
Allamakee County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Allamakee 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 Allamakee County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 13%2 to 4 pCi/L: 14%4 pCi/L and above: 73%
Of 492 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 65 | 13.2% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 67 | 13.6% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 360 | 73.2% |
What these figures count
These are the 492 tests reported to CDC for Allamakee 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).
Allamakee County, Compared
Allamakee County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 73.2% of the 492 radon tests reported to CDC for Allamakee County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 16th of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 14.7 points above the 58.5% pooled from 99 Iowa counties.
The median result, 7.0 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 84.1 pCi/L. The rest split 13.2% under 2 pCi/L and 13.6% from 2 to 4 (Iowa: 21.8% and 19.7%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 73.2% share point the same way here.
No bordering county with a figure for the same period reported a higher share; the closest is Winneshiek County at 66.4%, the lowest Crawford County, WI at 59.4%. Statewide for the same period, Sioux County reported the highest share (84.2%) and Decatur County the lowest (25.9%).
CDC's ten-year totals for Allamakee County went from 360 tests (2005 to 2014) to 492 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 73.9% to 73.2%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Allamakee County sits 37.5 points above it. CDC also counts 30 tests taken after mitigation in Allamakee County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Allamakee County, Geology
The ground under Allamakee County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Allamakee County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. 99.4% of it lies in the area the map calls Paleozoic Plateau, to which USGS gives a radon index of 13, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paleozoic Plateau | Ordovician carbonate and Cambrian sandstone bedrock covered by varying amounts of Quaternary glacial deposits and loess. | High | 13 | 99.4% |
| Driftless Area | Cambrian sandstone and Ordovician limestone and dolostone. | High | 12 | 0.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Allamakee County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Allamakee County is close to Iowa as a whole: 100% of its land against 98.8%. Of the 6 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Crawford County, WI comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Allamakee County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Allamakee County
- Iowa HHS Radon ProgramIowa HHS Radon Program, run by Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, 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 Iowa.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
You can reach the Hotline by calling 1-800-383-5992 to order low-cost radon test kits and find answers to your radon questions.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Iowa185 professionals are listed in Iowa.
What Iowa's program says
- Phone
- (515) 281-4928
- Licensing of radon professionals
Iowa’s radon program approves applications for persons who wish to become certified to perform radon testing or credentialed to perform mitigation and laboratories that provide radon testing devices and analytical services.
- Disclosure when a home is sold or rented
However, per Iowa Code chapters 543B.9 and 543B.18 and Iowa Administrative Code 193E Chapter 14 administered by the Iowa Real Estate Commission, a seller must disclose any known tests for the presence of radon and if yes, provide the date of last report and the result(s).
What it means
Allamakee County, Questions
Questions about radon in Allamakee County
Are radon levels high in Allamakee County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 73.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Allamakee County, Iowa were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 7.0 pCi/L. Of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 15 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Allamakee County?
Allamakee County borders 6 counties: Crawford County, WI, Winneshiek County, IA, Houston County, MN, Clayton County, IA, Vernon County, WI and Fayette County, IA.
Products
Allamakee County, Products
Testing a home in Allamakee County
In Allamakee County, 73.2% of 492 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 58.5% pooled across Iowa. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Allamakee 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
MonitorX-Sense
XR0A-iR Wi-Fi battery radon detector with a screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Wi-Fi
- Screen, app
Method: Alpha spectrometry
First reading: Within 24 hours
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
Allamakee County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Allamakee County
Explore
Allamakee County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Allamakee County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Winneshiek County, IAEPA zone 1
66.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.2 pCi/L · 1,071 tests · 6.8 points below Allamakee County
- Radon levels in Fayette County, IAEPA zone 1
62.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.6 pCi/L · 746 tests · 10.5 points below Allamakee County
- Radon levels in Clayton County, IAEPA zone 1
62.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.8 pCi/L · 310 tests · 10.6 points below Allamakee County
- Radon levels in Vernon County, WIEPA zone 1
60.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.4 pCi/L · 415 tests · 12.5 points below Allamakee County
- Radon levels in Houston County, MNEPA zone 1
59.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.1 pCi/L · 886 tests · 13.6 points below Allamakee County
- Radon levels in Crawford County, WIEPA zone 1
59.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.1 pCi/L · 160 tests · 13.8 points below Allamakee County
Allamakee County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Allamakee County
The Census Bureau estimates 14,238 residents in Allamakee County for July 1, 2025, 166 more than in 2020 (+1.2%). That works out to 22 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Waukon, has 3,849 residents, 27.0% of the total. CDC's 492 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 34.6 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Iowa's 29.4.
From Waukon to Waterville, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Allamakee County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waukon | 3,849 | +0.8% | 27.0% |
| Postvilleextends beyond Allamakee County | 2,402 | −4.3% | Counted whole |
| Lansing | 957 | −0.4% | 6.7% |
| New Albin | 428 | −1.4% | 3.0% |
| Harpers Ferry | 274 | +5.0% | 1.9% |
| Waterville | 112 | +3.7% | 0.8% |
6 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 Allamakee County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Allamakee County, Homes
Homes in Allamakee County
Allamakee County is a place of houses on their own lots: 76% of its 7,730 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Iowa. Half of its homes were built before 1971, close to Iowa's 1971: 43% date from before 1960 and 18% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 79% of the occupied homes (Iowa: 72%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Allamakee County | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 7,730 | 1,427,175 |
| Detached houses | 76% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 5% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 14% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 43% | 39% |
| Built since 2000 | 18% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1971 | 1971 |
| Owner-occupied | 79% | 72% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.