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 Pocahontas County, Iowa
EPA puts Pocahontas County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 68.8% of the 417 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
68.8%
10.3 pts above IA
- Pocahontas
- 68.8%
- Iowa
- 58.5%
417 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
6.4pCi/L
Action level reached
- Pocahontas
- 6.4 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
417
58th of 99 by tests
- Pocahontas
- 417
- 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
37 of 99
Middle half
- Pocahontas
- 68.8%
- Sioux
- 84.2%
By share, of 99 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Pocahontas County
Starts at Pocahontas County's median, 6.4 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 6.4 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. Pocahontas County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Pocahontas County, At a glance
Pocahontas County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 14%2 to 4 pCi/L: 17%4 pCi/L and above: 69%
Of 417 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 57 | 13.7% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 73 | 17.5% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 287 | 68.8% |
What these figures count
These are the 417 tests reported to CDC for Pocahontas 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).
Pocahontas County, Compared
Pocahontas County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 68.8% of the 417 radon tests reported to CDC for Pocahontas County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 37th of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 10.3 points above the 58.5% pooled from 99 Iowa counties.
The median result, 6.4 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 203.0 pCi/L. The rest split 13.7% under 2 pCi/L and 17.5% from 2 to 4 (Iowa: 21.8% and 19.7%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 68.8% share point the same way here.
7 of its 8 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Clay County at 79.4%; Kossuth County reported 66.1%. 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 Pocahontas County went from 480 tests (2005 to 2014) to 417 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 71.7% to 68.8%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Pocahontas County sits 33.1 points above it. CDC also counts 24 tests taken after mitigation in Pocahontas 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.
Pocahontas County, Geology
The ground under Pocahontas County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Pocahontas 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.
Pocahontas County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Pocahontas County is close to Iowa as a whole: 100% of its land against 98.8%. Of the 8 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Calhoun County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Pocahontas County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Pocahontas 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
Pocahontas County, Questions
Questions about radon in Pocahontas County
Are radon levels high in Pocahontas County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 68.8% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Pocahontas County, Iowa were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 6.4 pCi/L. Of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 36 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Pocahontas County?
Pocahontas County borders 8 counties: Palo Alto County, Humboldt County, Buena Vista County, Calhoun County, Kossuth County, Clay County, Sac County and Webster County.
Products
Pocahontas County, Products
Testing a home in Pocahontas County
In Pocahontas County, 68.8% of 417 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 Pocahontas 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 monitorMonitorSafetySiren
Pro4 plug-in radon detector with a display and alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 48 hours
Short-term kit
Radon Short Term Test Kit short-term charcoal radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 7 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Pocahontas County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Pocahontas County
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Pocahontas County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Pocahontas County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Clay CountyEPA zone 1
79.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 9.6 pCi/L · 744 tests · 10.6 points above Pocahontas County
- Radon levels in Sac CountyEPA zone 1
76.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 7.0 pCi/L · 491 tests · 7.8 points above Pocahontas County
- Radon levels in Buena Vista CountyEPA zone 1
72.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.9 pCi/L · 688 tests · 3.3 points above Pocahontas County
- Radon levels in Palo Alto CountyEPA zone 1
70.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.9 pCi/L · 462 tests · 2.0 points above Pocahontas County
- Radon levels in Humboldt CountyEPA zone 1
70.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 7.0 pCi/L · 385 tests · 1.3 points above Pocahontas County
- Radon levels in Calhoun CountyEPA zone 1
69.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.1 pCi/L · 507 tests · 1.0 points above Pocahontas County
- Radon levels in Webster CountyEPA zone 1
69.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.5 pCi/L · 1,189 tests · 0.6 points above Pocahontas County
- Radon levels in Kossuth CountyEPA zone 1
66.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.7 pCi/L · 434 tests · 2.7 points below Pocahontas County
Pocahontas County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Pocahontas County
About 6,819 people live in Pocahontas County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 251 fewer than in 2020 (−3.6%). That works out to 12 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Pocahontas, has 1,803 residents, 26.4% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 417 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 61.2 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 29.4 for Iowa.
From Pocahontas to Plover, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Pocahontas County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocahontas | 1,803 | −3.6% | 26.4% |
| Laurens | 1,217 | −3.7% | 17.8% |
| Fonda | 622 | −2.5% | 9.1% |
| Rolfe | 489 | −4.1% | 7.2% |
| Gilmore Cityextends beyond Pocahontas County | 471 | −2.9% | Counted whole |
| Palmer | 133 | −4.3% | 2.0% |
| Havelock | 121 | −4.7% | 1.8% |
| Varina | 66 | −2.9% | 1.0% |
| Plover | 51 | −3.8% | 0.7% |
9 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 Pocahontas County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Pocahontas County, Homes
Homes in Pocahontas County
Pocahontas County is a place of houses on their own lots: 89% of its 3,658 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Iowa. The homes are older than Iowa's as a whole: half were built before 1951 (1971 for Iowa), and 62% date from before 1960. 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 | Pocahontas County | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 3,658 | 1,427,175 |
| Detached houses | 89% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 3% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 2% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 62% | 39% |
| Built since 2000 | 4% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1951 | 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.