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
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Buchanan County, Iowa
EPA puts Buchanan County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 51.2% of the 564 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
51.2%
7.3 pts below IA
- Buchanan
- 51.2%
- Iowa
- 58.5%
564 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
4.1pCi/L
Action level reached
- Buchanan
- 4.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
564
42nd of 99 by tests
- Buchanan
- 564
- 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
78 of 99
Lowest quarter
- Buchanan
- 51.2%
- Sioux
- 84.2%
By share, of 99 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Buchanan County
Starts at Buchanan County's median, 4.1 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.1 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. Buchanan County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Buchanan County, At a glance
Buchanan County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Buchanan 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 Buchanan County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 28%2 to 4 pCi/L: 21%4 pCi/L and above: 51%
Of 564 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 155 | 27.5% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 120 | 21.3% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 289 | 51.2% |
What these figures count
These are the 564 tests reported to CDC for Buchanan 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).
Buchanan County, Compared
Buchanan County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 51.2% of the 564 radon tests reported to CDC for Buchanan County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 78th of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 7.3 points below the 58.5% pooled from 99 Iowa counties.
The median result, 4.1 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 106.0 pCi/L. The rest split 27.5% under 2 pCi/L and 21.3% from 2 to 4 (Iowa: 21.8% and 19.7%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 51.2% share point the same way here.
4 of its 7 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Fayette County at 62.7%; Linn County reported 39.7%. 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 Buchanan County went from 420 tests (2005 to 2014) to 564 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 50.0% to 51.2%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Buchanan County sits 15.5 points above it. CDC also counts 41 tests taken after mitigation in Buchanan 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.
Buchanan County, Geology
The ground under Buchanan County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Buchanan County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Iowan Surface, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowan Surface | Pre-Illinoian glaical deposits and loess. | 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.
Buchanan County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Buchanan County is close to Iowa as a whole: 100% of its land against 98.8%. Of the 7 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Benton County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Buchanan County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Buchanan County
Listed radon businesses with an address in Buchanan 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: Brandon, Aurora
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
Buchanan County, Questions
Questions about radon in Buchanan County
Are radon levels high in Buchanan County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 51.2% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Buchanan County, Iowa were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.1 pCi/L. Of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 77 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Buchanan County?
Buchanan County borders 7 counties: Fayette County, Delaware County, Black Hawk County, Bremer County, Clayton County, Benton County and Linn County.
Products
Buchanan County, Products
Testing a home in Buchanan County
In Buchanan County, 51.2% of 564 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 Buchanan 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
Monitor
RM-65 rechargeable radon detector with a color screen and alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
Short-term kit
RA100 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Buchanan County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Buchanan County
Explore
Buchanan County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Buchanan County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Fayette CountyEPA zone 1
62.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.6 pCi/L · 746 tests · 11.5 points above Buchanan County
- Radon levels in Clayton CountyEPA zone 1
62.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.8 pCi/L · 310 tests · 11.4 points above Buchanan County
- Radon levels in Benton CountyEPA zone 1
62.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.6 pCi/L · 696 tests · 10.9 points above Buchanan County
- Radon levels in Bremer CountyEPA zone 1
53.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.3 pCi/L · 957 tests · 1.8 points above Buchanan County
- Radon levels in Delaware CountyEPA zone 1
50.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 520 tests · 1.2 points below Buchanan County
- Radon levels in Black Hawk CountyEPA zone 1
48.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.8 pCi/L · 3,223 tests · 2.8 points below Buchanan County
- Radon levels in Linn CountyEPA zone 1
39.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 9,395 tests · 11.5 points below Buchanan County
Buchanan County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Buchanan County
The Census Bureau estimates 20,883 residents in Buchanan County for July 1, 2025, 275 more than in 2020 (+1.3%). That works out to 37 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Independence, has 6,312 residents, 30.2% of the total. CDC's 564 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 27.0 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Iowa's 29.4.
From Independence to Stanley, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Buchanan County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | 6,312 | +3.8% | 30.2% |
| Jesupextends beyond Buchanan County | 2,557 | +1.6% | Counted whole |
| Fairbankextends beyond Buchanan County | 1,145 | +3.2% | Counted whole |
| Winthrop | 823 | −0.2% | 3.9% |
| Hazleton | 714 | +0.7% | 3.4% |
| Quasqueton | 593 | +3.1% | 2.8% |
| Lamont | 432 | −0.2% | 2.1% |
| Brandon | 325 | −0.9% | 1.6% |
| Rowley | 267 | −0.7% | 1.3% |
| Aurora | 167 | Level | 0.8% |
| Stanleyextends beyond Buchanan County | 87 | Level | Counted whole |
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). A place that extends beyond Buchanan County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Buchanan County, Homes
Homes in Buchanan County
Buchanan County is a place of houses on their own lots: 82% of its 8,946 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Iowa. Half of its homes were built before 1971, close to Iowa's 1971: 38% date from before 1960 and 15% from 2000 or later. 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 | Buchanan County | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 8,946 | 1,427,175 |
| Detached houses | 82% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 4% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 5% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 38% | 39% |
| Built since 2000 | 15% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1971 | 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.