Skip to content
RADON411

Locations and reports

Radon Levels in Breathitt County, Kentucky

EPA puts Breathitt County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 19.1% of its 47 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

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    19.1%

    24.6 pts below KY

    Breathitt
    19.1%
    Kentucky
    43.7%

    47 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.7pCi/L

    Below action level

    Breathitt
    1.7 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    47

    53rd of 69 by tests

    Breathitt
    47
    Jefferson
    6,590

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 2

    Moderate potential

    1. 1
    2. Zone 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Kentucky

    62 of 69

    Lowest quarter

    Breathitt
    19.1%
    Meade
    68.4%

    By share, of 69 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Breathitt County

Starts at Breathitt County's median, 1.7 pCi/L

1.7pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.7 pCi/L

Below 2 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 below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Breathitt County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Breathitt County, At a glance

Breathitt County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Breathitt County is a county: EPA's forecast for it as a whole is an average indoor of 2 to 4 pCi/L (75 to 150 Bq/m³). It describes no single address, and homes above EPA's are found in every zone, this one included.

USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

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

Reported results by concentration band, Breathitt County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 55%2 to 4 pCi/L: 26%4 pCi/L and above: 19%

Of 47 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Breathitt County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L2655.3%
2 to 4 pCi/L1225.5%
4 pCi/L and above919.1%
What these figures count

These are the 47 tests reported to CDC for Breathitt 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

Breathitt County, Compared

Breathitt County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Breathitt County's 47 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.7 pCi/L and a maximum of 11.9 pCi/L, and 19.1% reached 4 pCi/L. Kentucky as a whole (120 Kentucky counties, pooled) comes to 43.7%: 24.6 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 62nd of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Statewide for the same period, Meade County reported the highest share (68.4%) and Hopkins County the lowest (9.5%).

Below the action level, 26 tests (55.3%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 33.2% statewide, and 12 tests (25.5%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.1% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Breathitt County went from 9 tests (2005 to 2014) to 47 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 33.3% to 19.1%.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Breathitt County in Zone 2, a predicted county average between 2 and 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.

Breathitt County against Kentucky, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Breathitt County
Breathitt County4719.1%1.7 pCi/LThis county
Kentucky, pooled120 counties, pooled28,79343.7%Not pooled+24.6 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+16.6 points
Meade Countyhighest in the state11768.4%8.2 pCi/L+49.3 points
Hopkins Countylowest in the state429.5%1.7 pCi/L−9.6 points
Owsley County, KYborders it862.5%18.3 pCi/L+43.4 points
Knott County, KYborders it1323.1%1.7 pCi/L+4.0 points
Perry County, KYborders it2420.8%1.4 pCi/L+1.7 points
Lee County, KYborders it185.6%1.2 pCi/L−13.5 points
Magoffin County, KYborders it130.0%0.5 pCi/L−19.1 points
Wolfe County, KYborders it40.0%0.1 pCi/L−19.1 points
Where Breathitt County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Kentucky and the United States
ResultBreathitt County testsBreathitt County shareKentucky shareU.S. shareAgainst Kentucky
Under 2 pCi/L2655.3%33.2%39.6%+22.1 points
2 to 4 pCi/L1225.5%23.1%24.7%+2.4 points
4 pCi/L and above919.1%43.7%35.7%−24.6 points
Breathitt 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
Trigg County57 of 694522.2%2.4 pCi/L
Laurel County58 of 6910022.0%1.9 pCi/L
Menifee County59 of 694122.0%1.4 pCi/L
Edmonson County60 of 696221.0%1.6 pCi/L
Daviess County61 of 6914520.0%1.8 pCi/L
Breathitt County62 of 694719.1%1.7 pCi/L
Rowan County63 of 697418.9%1.6 pCi/L
Boyd County64 of 6916817.9%2.1 pCi/L
Todd County65 of 696217.7%1.8 pCi/L
Pike County66 of 698217.1%1.1 pCi/L
Greenup County67 of 6910412.5%2.0 pCi/L
Breathitt County ten-year laboratory totals, against Kentucky's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestKentucky, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 20174719.1%1.7 pCi/L11.9 pCi/L43.7%−4.0 points
2007 to 20161323.1%1.9 pCi/L6.5 pCi/L45.1%+1.7 points
2006 to 20151421.4%1.8 pCi/L6.5 pCi/L46.4%−11.9 points
2005 to 2014933.3%2.9 pCi/L6.5 pCi/L47.3%First on file

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

Breathitt County, Geology

The ground under Breathitt County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Breathitt County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Cumberland Plateau, to which USGS gives a radon index of 9, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Breathitt County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Cumberland PlateauPennsylvanian sandstones, siltstones, and shales.Moderate9100%

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

Breathitt County beside the ground around it

Across Kentucky 18.2% of the land is rated high; none of Breathitt County's is. Of the 6 counties that border it, none has as large a share of moderate-potential ground; Knott County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Breathitt County, the 6 counties bordering it and Kentucky
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Breathitt CountyZone 2None100%None
Magoffin CountyZone 2None100%None
Wolfe CountyZone 2None100%None
Owsley CountyZone 2None100%None
Lee CountyZone 2None100%None
Perry CountyZone 2None100%None
Knott CountyZone 2None100%None
Kentucky120 counties, pooled by land areaVaries5.7%76.1%18.2%

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

Local help

Breathitt County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Breathitt County

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

What it means

Breathitt County, Questions

Questions about radon in Breathitt County

Are radon levels high in Breathitt County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 19.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Breathitt County, Kentucky were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.7 pCi/L. Of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 61 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 43.7%.

Which counties border Breathitt County?

Breathitt County borders 6 counties: Magoffin County, Wolfe County, Owsley County, Lee County, Perry County and Knott County.

Products

Breathitt County, Products

Testing a home in Breathitt County

In Breathitt County, 19.1% of 47 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 43.7% pooled across Kentucky. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Breathitt County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Breathitt County homes, compared

Explore

Breathitt County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Breathitt County

Calculated by Radon411

Breathitt County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Breathitt County

Breathitt County has been losing residents: from 13,701 in 2020 to 12,558 on July 1, 2025, a fall of 8.3% by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 26 people per square mile of land. Jackson, its one incorporated place, has 2,054 residents, 16.4% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 47 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 3.7 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Kentucky as a whole comes to 6.3.

Jackson is the one incorporated place here; CDC publishes no figure by town, so it reads Breathitt County's.

Jackson, Breathitt County: residents on July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Jackson2,054−8.2%16.4%

One incorporated place, 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).

Breathitt County, Homes

Homes in Breathitt County

Mobile homes are 42% of Breathitt County's 6,559 homes and detached houses 50%, against 68% across Kentucky. Half of its homes were built before 1989, close to Kentucky's 1982: 10% date from before 1960 and 30% from 2000 or later. 74% 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 Breathitt County, Kentucky, 2019 to 2023
HomesBreathitt CountyKentucky
Housing units6,5592,010,655
Detached houses50%68%
In buildings of 5 or more3%12%
Mobile homes42%11%
Built before 196010%22%
Built since 200030%24%
Middle year built19891982
Owner-occupied74%68%

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