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 Pottawattamie County, Iowa
EPA puts Pottawattamie County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 57.4% of the 1,868 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
57.4%
1.1 pts below IA
- Pottawattamie
- 57.4%
- Iowa
- 58.5%
1,868 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
4.7pCi/L
Action level reached
- Pottawattamie
- 4.7 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
1,868
11th of 99 by tests
- Pottawattamie
- 1,868
- 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
72 of 99
Middle half
- Pottawattamie
- 57.4%
- Sioux
- 84.2%
By share, of 99 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Pottawattamie County
Starts at Pottawattamie County's median, 4.7 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.7 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. Pottawattamie County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Pottawattamie County, At a glance
Pottawattamie County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 20%2 to 4 pCi/L: 22%4 pCi/L and above: 58%
Of 1,868 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 379 | 20.3% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 417 | 22.3% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 1,072 | 57.4% |
What these figures count
These are the 1,868 tests reported to CDC for Pottawattamie 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).
Pottawattamie County, Compared
Pottawattamie County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 57.4% of the 1,868 radon tests reported to CDC for Pottawattamie County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 72nd of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 1.1 points below the 58.5% pooled from 99 Iowa counties.
The median result, 4.7 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 61.4 pCi/L. The rest split 20.3% under 2 pCi/L and 22.3% from 2 to 4 (Iowa: 21.8% and 19.7%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 57.4% share point the same way here.
6 of its 8 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Shelby County at 78.4%; Douglas County, NE reported 51.1%. 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 Pottawattamie County went from 1,382 tests (2005 to 2014) to 1,868 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 59.7% to 57.4%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Pottawattamie County sits 21.7 points above it. CDC also counts 220 tests taken after mitigation in Pottawattamie 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.
Pottawattamie County, Geology
The ground under Pottawattamie County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Pottawattamie 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 | 99.8% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Pottawattamie County beside the ground around it
On high-potential ground Pottawattamie 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; Cass County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Pottawattamie County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Pottawattamie 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
Pottawattamie County, Questions
Questions about radon in Pottawattamie County
Are radon levels high in Pottawattamie County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 57.4% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Pottawattamie County, Iowa were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.7 pCi/L. Of 99 Iowa counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 71 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 58.5%.
Which counties border Pottawattamie County?
Pottawattamie County borders 8 counties: Mills County, IA, Montgomery County, IA, Harrison County, IA, Shelby County, IA, Douglas County, NE, Cass County, IA, Sarpy County, NE and Washington County, NE.
Products
Pottawattamie County, Products
Testing a home in Pottawattamie County
In Pottawattamie County, 57.4% of 1,868 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 Pottawattamie 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
View Radon Wi-Fi radon monitor with an e-paper display
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Approved
- Battery
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Screen, app
Method: Alpha spectrometry
Readings: Every 60 minutes
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
Pottawattamie County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Pottawattamie County
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Pottawattamie County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Pottawattamie County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Shelby County, IAEPA zone 1
78.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 9.0 pCi/L · 857 tests · 21.0 points above Pottawattamie County
- Radon levels in Cass County, IAEPA zone 1
77.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 8.1 pCi/L · 327 tests · 20.0 points above Pottawattamie County
- Radon levels in Mills County, IAEPA zone 1
70.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.1 pCi/L · 465 tests · 12.7 points above Pottawattamie County
- Radon levels in Harrison County, IAEPA zone 1
69.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.2 pCi/L · 367 tests · 12.4 points above Pottawattamie County
- Radon levels in Washington County, NEEPA zone 1
68.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.9 pCi/L · 557 tests · 11.2 points above Pottawattamie County
- Radon levels in Montgomery County, IAEPA zone 1
67.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.1 pCi/L · 233 tests · 10.0 points above Pottawattamie County
- Radon levels in Sarpy County, NEEPA zone 1
53.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.3 pCi/L · 4,799 tests · 3.8 points below Pottawattamie County
- Radon levels in Douglas County, NEEPA zone 1
51.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 8,556 tests · 6.3 points below Pottawattamie County
Pottawattamie County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Pottawattamie County
About 92,996 people live in Pottawattamie County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 671 fewer than in 2020 (−0.7%). That works out to 98 people per square mile of land. Council Bluffs alone is home to 62,680 of them, 67.4% of the total. CDC's 1,868 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 work out to 20.1 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Iowa's 29.4.
From Council Bluffs to McClelland, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Pottawattamie County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Council Bluffs | 62,680 | −0.2% | 67.4% |
| Carter Lake | 3,670 | −3.1% | 3.9% |
| Avoca | 1,661 | −1.7% | 1.8% |
| Oakland | 1,489 | −2.1% | 1.6% |
| Treynor | 1,088 | +6.4% | 1.2% |
| Underwood | 955 | +0.5% | 1.0% |
| Neola | 903 | −1.2% | 1.0% |
| Carson | 757 | −1.2% | 0.8% |
| Shelbyextends beyond Pottawattamie County | 727 | +0.3% | Counted whole |
| Walnut | 715 | −3.6% | 0.8% |
| Crescent | 615 | −1.9% | 0.7% |
| Minden | 567 | −5.3% | 0.6% |
- Macedonia
- Hancock
- McClelland
15 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 Pottawattamie County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Pottawattamie County, Homes
Homes in Pottawattamie County
Pottawattamie County is a place of houses on their own lots: 75% of its 40,022 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Iowa. Half of its homes were built before 1967, close to Iowa's 1971: 43% date from before 1960 and 18% from 2000 or later. 70% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Iowa: 72%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Pottawattamie County | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 40,022 | 1,427,175 |
| Detached houses | 75% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 14% | 14% |
| Mobile homes | 4% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 43% | 39% |
| Built since 2000 | 18% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1967 | 1971 |
| Owner-occupied | 70% | 72% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.