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Radon Levels in Barren County, Kentucky

EPA puts Barren County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 51.6% of the 186 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

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    51.6%

    7.9 pts above KY

    Barren
    51.6%
    Kentucky
    43.7%

    186 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    4.0pCi/L

    Action level reached

    Barren
    4.0 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    186

    22nd of 69 by tests

    Barren
    186
    Jefferson
    6,590

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • 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 Kentucky

    14 of 69

    Top quarter

    Barren
    51.6%
    Meade
    68.4%

    By share, of 69 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Barren County

Starts at Barren County's median, 4.0 pCi/L

4.0pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 4.0 pCi/L

At or above 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 at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. Barren County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Barren County, At a glance

Barren County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Barren 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: Moderate across 50% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Barren County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory

Reported results by concentration band, Barren County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 23%2 to 4 pCi/L: 26%4 pCi/L and above: 51%

Of 186 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Barren County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L4222.6%
2 to 4 pCi/L4825.8%
4 pCi/L and above9651.6%
What these figures count

These are the 186 tests reported to CDC for Barren 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).

How to read these figures

Barren County, Compared

Barren County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

More than half: 51.6% of the 186 radon tests reported to CDC for Barren County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 14th of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 7.9 points above the 43.7% pooled from 120 Kentucky counties.

The median result, 4.0 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 167.4 pCi/L. The rest split 22.6% under 2 pCi/L and 25.8% from 2 to 4 (Kentucky: 33.2% and 23.1%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 51.6% share point the same way here.

3 of its 6 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Hart County at 65.5%; Edmonson County reported 21.0%. Statewide for the same period, Meade County reported the highest share (68.4%) and Hopkins County the lowest (9.5%).

CDC's ten-year totals for Barren County went from 173 tests (2005 to 2014) to 186 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 53.8% to 51.6%.

Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Barren County sits 15.9 points above it. CDC also counts 9 tests taken after mitigation in Barren County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Barren County against Kentucky, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Barren County
Barren County18651.6%4.0 pCi/LThis county
Kentucky, pooled120 counties, pooled28,79343.7%Not pooled−7.9 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled−15.9 points
Meade Countyhighest in the state11768.4%8.2 pCi/L+16.8 points
Hopkins Countylowest in the state429.5%1.7 pCi/L−42.1 points
Hart County, KYborders it8465.5%8.0 pCi/L+13.9 points
Warren County, KYborders it1,62461.5%6.3 pCi/L+9.9 points
Monroe County, KYborders it8752.9%4.6 pCi/L+1.3 points
Metcalfe County, KYborders it3345.5%3.5 pCi/L−6.1 points
Allen County, KYborders it5829.3%1.9 pCi/L−22.3 points
Edmonson County, KYborders it6221.0%1.6 pCi/L−30.6 points
Where Barren County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Kentucky and the United States
ResultBarren County testsBarren County shareKentucky shareU.S. shareAgainst Kentucky
Under 2 pCi/L4222.6%33.2%39.6%−10.6 points
2 to 4 pCi/L4825.8%23.1%24.7%+2.7 points
4 pCi/L and above9651.6%43.7%35.7%+7.9 points
Barren County ranked among the 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Jessamine County9 of 6978955.5%4.7 pCi/L
Fayette County10 of 695,26354.5%4.5 pCi/L
Boyle County11 of 6949253.9%4.4 pCi/L
Bourbon County12 of 6912753.5%4.8 pCi/L
Monroe County13 of 698752.9%4.6 pCi/L
Barren County14 of 6918651.6%4.0 pCi/L
Montgomery County15 of 6910551.4%4.1 pCi/L
Hardin County16 of 6942950.3%4.0 pCi/L
Marion County17 of 6917748.6%3.9 pCi/L
Bullitt County18 of 6955147.5%3.6 pCi/L
Clinton County19 of 694047.5%3.5 pCi/L
Barren County ten-year laboratory totals, against Kentucky's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestKentucky, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 201718651.6%4.0 pCi/L167.4 pCi/L43.7%−0.1 points
2007 to 201620151.7%4.1 pCi/L167.4 pCi/L45.1%−2.2 points
2006 to 201519353.9%4.3 pCi/L167.4 pCi/L46.4%+0.1 points
2005 to 201417353.8%4.3 pCi/L167.4 pCi/L47.3%First on file

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

Barren County, Geology

The ground under Barren County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map splits Barren County: 50.0% of its land is moderate radon potential and 50.0% high. The map puts 50.0% of Barren County in the area it calls Mississippian Plateau and 50.0% in Eastern Pennyroyal. USGS gives the first a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 12, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Barren County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Mississippian PlateauMississippian marine limestones, dolomites, marine sandstones, siltstones, and shales.Moderate1150.0%
Eastern PennyroyalMarine shale, sandstone and limestone.High1250.0%

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

Barren County beside the ground around it

Barren County has more high-potential ground than Kentucky as a whole: 50.0% of its land against 18.2%. Of the 6 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Monroe County the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Barren County, the 6 counties bordering it and Kentucky
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Barren CountyZone 1None50.0%50.0%
Metcalfe CountyZone 1None22.6%77.4%
Hart CountyZone 1None100%None
Allen CountyZone 1None38.5%61.5%
Edmonson CountyZone 2None100%None
Monroe CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Warren CountyZone 1None99.9%0.1%
Kentucky120 counties, pooled by land areaVaries5.7%76.1%18.2%

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

Local help

Barren County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Barren County

What Kentucky's program says
Phone
502-782-2782
Email
Radon@ky.gov

What it means

Barren County, Questions

Questions about radon in Barren County

Are radon levels high in Barren County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 51.6% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Barren County, Kentucky were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.0 pCi/L. Of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 13 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 43.7%.

Which counties border Barren County?

Barren County borders 6 counties: Metcalfe County, Hart County, Allen County, Edmonson County, Monroe County and Warren County.

Products

Barren County, Products

Testing a home in Barren County

In Barren County, 51.6% of 186 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 43.7% pooled across Kentucky. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Barren 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

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

Explore

Barren County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Barren County

Calculated by Radon411

Barren County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Barren County

The Census Bureau estimates 45,641 residents in Barren County for July 1, 2025, 1,133 more than in 2020 (+2.5%). That works out to 94 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Glasgow, has 15,302 residents, 33.5% of the total. Together its 3 incorporated places hold 40.2% of those residents; the other 59.8% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 186 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 4.1 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Kentucky as a whole comes to 6.3.

From Glasgow to Park City, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Barren County's.

The cities and towns in Barren County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Glasgow15,302+1.8%33.5%
Cave City2,398+1.7%5.3%
Park City629+1.6%1.4%

3 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).

Barren County, Homes

Homes in Barren County

Of Barren County's 20,107 homes, 69% are detached houses, against 68% across Kentucky; 13% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1984, close to Kentucky's 1982: 19% date from before 1960 and 28% from 2000 or later. 65% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Kentucky: 68%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Barren County, Kentucky, 2019 to 2023
HomesBarren CountyKentucky
Housing units20,1072,010,655
Detached houses69%68%
In buildings of 5 or more4%12%
Mobile homes13%11%
Built before 196019%22%
Built since 200028%24%
Middle year built19841982
Owner-occupied65%68%

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