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Radon Levels in Atchison County, Kansas

EPA puts Atchison County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 41.7% of the 60 radon tests reported to CDC (2022) 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

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    41.7%

    9.7 pts above KS

    Atchison
    41.7%
    Kansas
    32.0%

    60 tests, 2022

  • Median result

    3.3pCi/L

    Below action level

    Atchison
    3.3 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2022

  • Tests reported

    60

    26th of 38 by tests

    Atchison
    60
    Johnson
    5,240

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2022

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Kansas

    9 of 38

    Top quarter

    Atchison
    41.7%
    Mitchell
    57.4%

    By share, of 38 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Atchison County

Starts at Atchison County's median, 3.3 pCi/L

3.3pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 3.3 pCi/L

Between 2 and 4 pCi/L

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 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. Atchison County's median reported result, 2022.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Atchison County, At a glance

Atchison County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Atchison County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: High across 94% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Atchison County, 2022

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Atchison County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Atchison County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201635.7%
201750.0%
201845.7%
201944.1%
202039.7%
202144.4%
202241.7%

2022: 41.7%. Across these years the share ran from 35.7% to 50.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 60 tests reported to CDC for Atchison County over 2022, 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: 2022. Measured data period: 2016 to 2022 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Atchison County, Compared

Atchison County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

In Atchison County, about 4 in 10 reported tests in 2022 (25 of 60) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 23.9%, the gap is 17.8 points higher. Across 96 Kansas counties pooled together, 32.0% of tests reached that level, so Atchison County runs 9.7 points above its state.

Of 3 neighbours with a figure, 1 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 2 a smaller one; the spread is 26.8% (Leavenworth County) to 45.9% (Platte County, MO). By share, Atchison County is 9th of 38 Kansas counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.

Year by year, 2017 opened at 50.0% and 2022 closed at 41.7% (down 8.3 points), with 2017 the high at 50.0%. Half the tests came in under 3.3 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 32.1 pCi/L. Below the action level, 14 tests (23.3%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 45.8% statewide, and 21 tests (35.0%) fell between 2 and 4, against 22.1% statewide.

Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 41.7% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 94% of the county's land high radon potential.

The busiest year on file was 2021, with 162 tests reported; the quietest, 2016, had 14.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Atchison County against Kansas2017 to 2022, years with 30 or more tests: Atchison County 50.0% to 41.7%, the state's pooled share 32.0% in 2022.
Atchison CountyKansas, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Atchison County against Kansas: data table
YearTestsAtchison County, at or above 4 pCi/LKansas, pooled
20173250.0%37.3%
20183545.7%37.3%
20193444.1%33.7%
20205839.7%31.3%
202116244.4%31.8%
20226041.7%32.0%
Atchison County against Kansas, the United States and nearby counties, 2022
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Atchison County
Atchison County6041.7%3.3 pCi/LThis county
Kansas, pooled96 counties, pooled18,38532.0%Not pooled−9.7 points
United States, pooled853 counties, pooled333,14023.9%Not pooled−17.8 points
Mitchell Countyhighest in the state4757.4%6.2 pCi/L+15.7 points
Crawford Countylowest in the state345.9%0.8 pCi/L−35.8 points
Doniphan County, KSborders it5100.0%21.9 pCi/L+58.3 points
Buchanan County, MOborders it2360.9%5.2 pCi/L+19.2 points
Brown County, KSborders it560.0%5.0 pCi/L+18.3 points
Platte County, MOborders it8545.9%3.7 pCi/L+4.2 points
Jefferson County, KSborders it5339.6%2.4 pCi/L−2.1 points
Leavenworth County, KSborders it51526.8%1.9 pCi/L−14.9 points
Jackson County, KSborders it2123.8%2.7 pCi/L−17.9 points
Where Atchison County's reported results fell, 2022, beside Kansas and the United States
ResultAtchison County testsAtchison County shareKansas shareU.S. shareAgainst Kansas
Under 2 pCi/L1423.3%45.8%54.5%−22.5 points
2 to 4 pCi/L2135.0%22.1%21.7%+12.9 points
4 pCi/L and above2541.7%32.0%23.9%+9.7 points
Atchison County ranked among the 38 Kansas counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2022
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Barton County4 of 383953.8%4.1 pCi/L
Republic County5 of 383452.9%4.3 pCi/L
Saline County6 of 3872952.3%4.2 pCi/L
McPherson County7 of 3821551.6%4.1 pCi/L
Pawnee County8 of 385343.4%3.7 pCi/L
Atchison County9 of 386041.7%3.3 pCi/L
Johnson County10 of 385,24041.2%3.0 pCi/L
Miami County11 of 3821440.2%3.0 pCi/L
Marion County12 of 384540.0%2.5 pCi/L
Cowley County13 of 3811839.8%3.3 pCi/L
Jefferson County14 of 385339.6%2.4 pCi/L
Atchison County radon tests by year, against Kansas' pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestKansas, pooledChange from the row before
20226041.7%3.3 pCi/L32.1 pCi/L32.0%−2.7 points
202116244.4%3.5 pCi/L40.9 pCi/L31.8%+4.7 points
20205839.7%2.9 pCi/L16.9 pCi/L31.3%−4.4 points
20193444.1%3.5 pCi/L17.0 pCi/L33.7%−1.6 points
20183545.7%3.5 pCi/L22.0 pCi/L37.3%−4.3 points
20173250.0%3.9 pCi/L15.0 pCi/L37.3%+14.3 points
20161435.7%3.5 pCi/L20.5 pCi/L35.4%First on file

Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.

Atchison County, Geology

The ground under Atchison County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Atchison County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 93.5% of its land is high radon potential, with 6.5% moderate. The map puts 93.3% of Atchison County in the area it calls Glacial Drift and 6.5% in Glaciated Area. USGS gives the first a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 9, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Atchison County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Glacial DriftGlacial drift and loess of varying thickness, largely locally derived from underlying and nearby Paleozoic sedimentary rocks.High1293.3%
Glaciated AreaGlacial till underlain by Pennsylvanian and Permian marine and nonmarine sedimentary shale, sandstone, limestone, coal.Moderate96.5%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

Atchison County beside the ground around it

Atchison County has more high-potential ground than Kansas as a whole: 93.5% of its land against 59.9%. Of the 7 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Buchanan County, MO the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Atchison County, the 7 counties bordering it and Kansas
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Atchison CountyZone 1None6.5%93.5%
Jefferson CountyZone 2None70.7%29.3%
Doniphan CountyZone 2NoneNone100%
Brown CountyZone 1None7.5%92.5%
Jackson CountyZone 1None52.6%47.4%
Buchanan County, MOZone 1NoneNone100%
Leavenworth CountyZone 1None28.8%71.2%
Platte County, MOZone 1NoneNone100%
Kansas105 counties, pooled by land areaVariesNone40.1%59.9%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Atchison County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Atchison County

What Kansas's program says
Phone
(800) 693-5343

What it means

Atchison County, Questions

Questions about radon in Atchison County

Are radon levels high in Atchison County?

In 2022, 41.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Atchison County, Kansas were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.3 pCi/L. Of 38 Kansas counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 8 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 32.0%.

Which counties border Atchison County?

Atchison County borders 7 counties: Jefferson County, KS, Doniphan County, KS, Brown County, KS, Jackson County, KS, Buchanan County, MO, Leavenworth County, KS and Platte County, MO.

Products

Atchison County, Products

Testing a home in Atchison County

In Atchison County, 41.7% of 60 tests reported to CDC in 2022 reached 4 pCi/L, against 32.0% pooled across Kansas. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Atchison 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

Atchison County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Atchison County

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Atchison County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Atchison County

Calculated by Radon411

Atchison County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Atchison County

About 16,172 people live in Atchison County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 153 fewer than in 2020 (−0.9%). That works out to 38 people per square mile of land. Atchison alone is home to 10,789 of them, 66.7% of the total. Together its 5 incorporated places hold 72.6% of those residents; the other 27.4% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 60 tests over 2022, or 3.7 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Kansas as a whole comes to 6.2.

From Atchison to Huron, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Atchison County's.

The cities and towns in Atchison County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Atchison10,789−0.7%66.7%
Effingham481−1.8%3.0%
Lancaster242−0.8%1.5%
Muscotah153−1.3%0.9%
Huron73−1.4%0.5%

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).

Atchison County, Homes

Homes in Atchison County

Atchison County is a place of houses on their own lots: 80% of its 6,811 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Kansas. Half of its homes were built before 1969, close to Kansas' 1975: 41% date from before 1960 and 9% from 2000 or later. 73% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Kansas: 67%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Atchison County, Kansas, 2019 to 2023
HomesAtchison CountyKansas
Housing units6,8111,285,221
Detached houses80%72%
In buildings of 5 or more7%13%
Mobile homes7%4%
Built before 196041%33%
Built since 20009%20%
Middle year built19691975
Owner-occupied73%67%

Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.