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 Boone County, Iowa
EPA puts Boone County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 68.7% of the 1,134 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
68.7%
10.2 pts above IA
- Boone
- 68.7%
- Iowa
- 58.5%
1,134 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
6.0pCi/L
Action level reached
- Boone
- 6.0 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
1,134
19th of 99 by tests
- Boone
- 1,134
- 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
38 of 99
Middle half
- Boone
- 68.7%
- Sioux
- 84.2%
By share, of 99 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Boone County
Starts at Boone County's median, 6.0 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 6.0 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. Boone County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Boone County, At a glance
Boone County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Boone 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 Boone County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 13%2 to 4 pCi/L: 18%4 pCi/L and above: 69%
Of 1,134 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 154 | 13.6% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 201 | 17.7% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 779 | 68.7% |
What these figures count
These are the 1,134 tests reported to CDC for Boone 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).
Boone County, Compared
Boone County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 68.7% of the 1,134 radon tests reported to CDC for Boone County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 38th of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 10.2 points above the 58.5% pooled from 99 Iowa counties.
The median result, 6.0 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 110.9 pCi/L. The rest split 13.6% under 2 pCi/L and 17.7% from 2 to 4 (Iowa: 21.8% and 19.7%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 68.7% share point the same way here.
2 of its 6 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Greene County at 71.3%; Dallas County reported 58.5%. 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 Boone County went from 885 tests (2005 to 2014) to 1,134 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 70.5% to 68.7%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Boone County sits 33.0 points above it. CDC also counts 86 tests taken after mitigation in Boone 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.
Boone County, Geology
The ground under Boone County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Boone County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Des Moines Lobe, to which USGS gives a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines Lobe | Calcareous loamy till derived from shale, limestone, dolomite, sandstone. | High | 12 | 100% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Boone County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Boone 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; Greene County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Boone County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Boone County
Listed radon businesses with an address in Boone 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.
Listed radon professionals by town: Boone
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
Boone County, Questions
Questions about radon in Boone County
Are radon levels high in Boone County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 68.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Boone County, Iowa were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 6.0 pCi/L. Of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 37 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Boone County?
Boone County borders 6 counties: Dallas County, Greene County, Story County, Hamilton County, Webster County and Polk County.
Products
Boone County, Products
Testing a home in Boone County
In Boone County, 68.7% of 1,134 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 Boone 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
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
Short-term kitempowerDX
Standard Radon Test short-term mail-in radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Passive sampler
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Boone County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Boone County
Explore
Boone County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Boone County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Greene CountyEPA zone 1
71.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.2 pCi/L · 143 tests · 2.6 points above Boone County
- Radon levels in Webster CountyEPA zone 1
69.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.5 pCi/L · 1,189 tests · 0.7 points above Boone County
- Radon levels in Polk CountyEPA zone 1
64.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.6 pCi/L · 10,945 tests · 4.3 points below Boone County
- Radon levels in Hamilton CountyEPA zone 1
64.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.5 pCi/L · 252 tests · 4.4 points below Boone County
- Radon levels in Story CountyEPA zone 1
59.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.0 pCi/L · 2,568 tests · 8.8 points below Boone County
- Radon levels in Dallas CountyEPA zone 1
58.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.9 pCi/L · 2,352 tests · 10.2 points below Boone County
Boone County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Boone County
Boone County's population has barely moved since 2020: 26,799 residents on July 1, 2025 against 26,705 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 47 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Boone, has 12,471 residents, 46.5% of the total. CDC's 1,134 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 42.3 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Iowa's 29.4.
From Boone to Berkley, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Boone County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone | 12,471 | +0.2% | 46.5% |
| Madrid | 2,820 | +0.7% | 10.5% |
| Ogden | 1,975 | −1.5% | 7.4% |
| Slaterextends beyond Boone County | 1,617 | +5.3% | Counted whole |
| Woodwardextends beyond Boone County | 1,426 | +5.4% | Counted whole |
| Sheldahlextends beyond Boone County | 306 | +2.3% | Counted whole |
| Boxholm | 177 | −3.3% | 0.7% |
| Pilot Mound | 155 | −3.1% | 0.6% |
| Luther | 146 | −2.0% | 0.5% |
| Fraser | 107 | +3.9% | 0.4% |
| Beaver | 49 | +2.1% | 0.2% |
| Berkley | 21 | −4.5% | Under 0.1% |
12 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 Boone County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Boone County, Homes
Homes in Boone County
Boone County is a place of houses on their own lots: 81% of its 12,005 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Iowa. The homes are older than Iowa's as a whole: half were built before 1957 (1971 for Iowa), and 52% date from before 1960. Owners live in 81% of the occupied homes (Iowa: 72%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Boone County | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 12,005 | 1,427,175 |
| Detached houses | 81% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 11% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 2% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 52% | 39% |
| Built since 2000 | 13% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1957 | 1971 |
| Owner-occupied | 81% | 72% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.