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 Monroe County, Iowa
EPA puts Monroe County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and 33.9% of its 59 reported radon tests (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) were 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
33.9%
24.6 pts below IA
- Monroe
- 33.9%
- Iowa
- 58.5%
59 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.9pCi/L
Below action level
- Monroe
- 2.9 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
59
97th of 99 by tests
- Monroe
- 59
- 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
95 of 99
Lowest quarter
- Monroe
- 33.9%
- Sioux
- 84.2%
By share, of 99 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Monroe County
Starts at Monroe County's median, 2.9 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.9 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. Monroe County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Monroe County, At a glance
Monroe County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Monroe 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 Monroe County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 27%2 to 4 pCi/L: 39%4 pCi/L and above: 34%
Of 59 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 16 | 27.1% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 23 | 39.0% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 20 | 33.9% |
What these figures count
These are the 59 tests reported to CDC for Monroe 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).
Monroe County, Compared
Monroe County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Monroe County, about 3 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (20 of 59) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 1.8 points lower. Across 99 Iowa counties pooled together, 58.5% of tests reached that level, so Monroe County runs 24.6 points below its state.
Of 7 neighbours with a figure, all 7 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 34.8% (Wayne County) to 67.3% (Marion County). By share, Monroe County is 95th of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 2.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 12.8 pCi/L. Below the action level, 16 tests (27.1%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 21.8% statewide, and 23 tests (39.0%) fell between 2 and 4, against 19.7% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 33.9% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential.
CDC's ten-year totals for Monroe County went from 62 tests (2005 to 2014) to 59 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 37.1% to 33.9%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Monroe County, Geology
The ground under Monroe County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Monroe County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Loess-Covered Drift Plains, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loess-Covered Drift Plains | Pre-Illinoian and Illinoian glacial deposits, and loess. | High | 13 | 100% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Monroe County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Monroe 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; Lucas County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Monroe County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Monroe County
Listed radon businesses with an address in Monroe 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: Albia
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
Monroe County, Questions
Questions about radon in Monroe County
Are radon levels high in Monroe County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 33.9% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Monroe County, Iowa were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.9 pCi/L. Of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 94 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Monroe County?
Monroe County borders 7 counties: Appanoose County, Marion County, Lucas County, Wapello County, Mahaska County, Davis County and Wayne County.
Products
Monroe County, Products
Testing a home in Monroe County
In Monroe County, 33.9% of 59 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 Monroe 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-3786 rechargeable radon monitor with a 3.5-inch color screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
Short-term kitFirst Alert
RD1 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 4 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Monroe County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Monroe County
Explore
Monroe County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Monroe County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Marion CountyEPA zone 1
67.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.0 pCi/L · 1,151 tests · 33.4 points above Monroe County
- Radon levels in Mahaska CountyEPA zone 1
61.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.2 pCi/L · 288 tests · 27.2 points above Monroe County
- Radon levels in Appanoose CountyEPA zone 1
45.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.7 pCi/L · 117 tests · 11.4 points above Monroe County
- Radon levels in Davis CountyEPA zone 1
42.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.1 pCi/L · 85 tests · 8.5 points above Monroe County
- Radon levels in Lucas CountyEPA zone 1
39.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.3 pCi/L · 84 tests · 5.4 points above Monroe County
- Radon levels in Wapello CountyEPA zone 1
35.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 287 tests · 2.0 points above Monroe County
- Radon levels in Wayne CountyEPA zone 1
34.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 46 tests · 0.9 points above Monroe County
Monroe County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Monroe County
About 7,406 people live in Monroe County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 194 fewer than in 2020 (−2.6%). That works out to 17 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Albia, has 3,599 residents, 48.6% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 59 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 8.0 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Iowa as a whole comes to 29.4.
From Albia to Melrose, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Monroe County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albia | 3,599 | −3.5% | 48.6% |
| Eddyvilleextends beyond Monroe County | 960 | −0.7% | Counted whole |
| Moraviaextends beyond Monroe County | 626 | −1.9% | Counted whole |
| Lovilia | 456 | −3.6% | 6.2% |
| Melrose | 108 | −1.8% | 1.5% |
5 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 Monroe County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Monroe County, Homes
Homes in Monroe County
Monroe County is a place of houses on their own lots: 77% of its 3,648 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Iowa. Half of its homes were built before 1972, close to Iowa's 1971: 40% date from before 1960 and 14% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 84% of the occupied homes (Iowa: 72%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Monroe County | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 3,648 | 1,427,175 |
| Detached houses | 77% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 12% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 40% | 39% |
| Built since 2000 | 14% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1972 | 1971 |
| Owner-occupied | 84% | 72% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.