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 Jackson County, Iowa
EPA puts Jackson County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 52.7% of the 1,056 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
52.7%
5.8 pts below IA
- Jackson
- 52.7%
- Iowa
- 58.5%
1,056 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
4.1pCi/L
Action level reached
- Jackson
- 4.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
1,056
21st of 99 by tests
- Jackson
- 1,056
- 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
75 of 99
Lowest quarter
- Jackson
- 52.7%
- Sioux
- 84.2%
By share, of 99 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Jackson County
Starts at Jackson 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. Jackson County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Jackson County, At a glance
Jackson County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Jackson 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 Jackson County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 20%2 to 4 pCi/L: 27%4 pCi/L and above: 53%
Of 1,056 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 212 | 20.1% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 287 | 27.2% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 557 | 52.7% |
What these figures count
These are the 1,056 tests reported to CDC for Jackson 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).
Jackson County, Compared
Jackson County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 52.7% of the 1,056 radon tests reported to CDC for Jackson County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 75th of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 5.8 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 96.5 pCi/L. The rest split 20.1% under 2 pCi/L and 27.2% from 2 to 4 (Iowa: 21.8% and 19.7%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 52.7% share point the same way here.
3 of its 5 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Carroll County, IL at 60.8%; Dubuque County reported 46.8%. 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 Jackson County went from 852 tests (2005 to 2014) to 1,056 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 56.5% to 52.7%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Jackson County sits 17.0 points above it. CDC also counts 85 tests taken after mitigation in Jackson 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.
Jackson County, Geology
The ground under Jackson County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Jackson County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 58.3% of Jackson County in the area it calls Loess-Covered Drift Plains and 41.7% in Paleozoic Plateau. USGS gives both 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loess-Covered Drift Plains | Pre-Illinoian and Illinoian glacial deposits, and loess. | High | 13 | 58.3% |
| Paleozoic Plateau | Ordovician carbonate and Cambrian sandstone bedrock covered by varying amounts of Quaternary glacial deposits and loess. | High | 13 | 41.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Jackson County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Jackson County is close to Iowa as a whole: 100% of its land against 98.8%. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Dubuque County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Jackson County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Jackson County
Listed radon businesses with an address in Jackson 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: Sabula
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
Jackson County, Questions
Questions about radon in Jackson County
Are radon levels high in Jackson County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 52.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Jackson 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, 74 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Jackson County?
Jackson County borders 5 counties: Clinton County, IA, Dubuque County, IA, Jo Daviess County, IL, Jones County, IA and Carroll County, IL.
Products
Jackson County, Products
Testing a home in Jackson County
In Jackson County, 52.7% of 1,056 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 Jackson 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
MonitorForensics Detectors
FD-65-RADON rechargeable radon detector with a color screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
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
Jackson County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Jackson County
Explore
Jackson County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Jackson County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Carroll County, ILEPA zone 1
60.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.1 pCi/L · 431 tests · 8.1 points above Jackson County
- Radon levels in Jones County, IAEPA zone 1
59.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.1 pCi/L · 555 tests · 6.6 points above Jackson County
- Radon levels in Jo Daviess County, ILEPA zone 1
57.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.6 pCi/L · 985 tests · 4.5 points above Jackson County
- Radon levels in Clinton County, IAEPA zone 1
52.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.3 pCi/L · 1,375 tests · 0.0 points above Jackson County
- Radon levels in Dubuque County, IAEPA zone 1
46.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.6 pCi/L · 3,775 tests · 5.9 points below Jackson County
Jackson County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Jackson County
About 19,288 people live in Jackson County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 159 fewer than in 2020 (−0.8%). That works out to 30 people per square mile of land. Maquoketa, the largest place on its list (6,027 residents in all), extends beyond Jackson County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 1,056 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 54.7 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 29.4 for Iowa.
From Maquoketa to Zwingle, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Jackson County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maquoketaextends beyond Jackson County | 6,027 | −1.6% | Counted whole |
| Bellevue | 2,317 | −1.6% | 12.0% |
| Preston | 935 | −1.2% | 4.8% |
| Sabula | 496 | −0.8% | 2.6% |
| Miles | 398 | −2.7% | 2.1% |
| Andrew | 369 | −1.6% | 1.9% |
| La Motte | 234 | −1.7% | 1.2% |
| Springbrook | 140 | Level | 0.7% |
| Monmouth | 128 | −0.8% | 0.7% |
| St. Donatus | 121 | −1.6% | 0.6% |
| Baldwin | 98 | −2.0% | 0.5% |
| Spragueville | 91 | Level | 0.5% |
- Zwingle (part)
13 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. “(part)” marks a place that extends into another county. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025). A place that extends beyond Jackson County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Jackson County, Homes
Homes in Jackson County
Jackson County is a place of houses on their own lots: 82% of its 9,272 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Iowa. Half of its homes were built before 1967, close to Iowa's 1971: 44% date from before 1960 and 15% 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 | Jackson County | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 9,272 | 1,427,175 |
| Detached houses | 82% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 4% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 7% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 44% | 39% |
| Built since 2000 | 15% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1967 | 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.