Short-term kitempowerDX
Standard Radon Test short-term mail-in radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Passive sampler
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Estill County, Kentucky
EPA puts Estill County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and high results are common there: 44.1% of the 177 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
44.1%
0.4 pts above KY
- Estill
- 44.1%
- Kentucky
- 43.7%
177 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.2pCi/L
Below action level
- Estill
- 3.2 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
177
24th of 69 by tests
- Estill
- 177
- Jefferson
- 6,590
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Kentucky
24 of 69
Middle half
- Estill
- 44.1%
- Meade
- 68.4%
By share, of 69 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Estill County
Starts at Estill County's median, 3.2 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.2 pCi/L
Between 2 and 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 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. Estill County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Estill County, At a glance
Estill County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Estill County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 57% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Estill County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 37%2 to 4 pCi/L: 19%4 pCi/L and above: 44%
Of 177 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 65 | 36.7% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 34 | 19.2% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 78 | 44.1% |
What these figures count
These are the 177 tests reported to CDC for Estill 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).
Estill County, Compared
Estill County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Estill County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (78 of 177) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 8.4 points higher. Across 120 Kentucky counties pooled together, 43.7% of tests reached that level, so Estill County runs 0.4 points above its state.
Of 2 neighbours with a figure, none reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 29.0% (Clark County) to 38.7% (Madison County). By share, Estill County is 24th of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.2 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 116.6 pCi/L. Below the action level, 65 tests (36.7%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 33.2% statewide, and 34 tests (19.2%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.1% statewide.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 44.1% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 57% of the county's land moderate radon potential. CDC also counts 5 tests taken after mitigation in Estill County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
CDC's ten-year totals for Estill County went from 124 tests (2005 to 2014) to 177 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 52.4% to 44.1%.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Estill County, Geology
The ground under Estill County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map splits Estill County: 57.3% of its land is moderate radon potential and 42.7% high. The map puts 54.6% of Estill County in the area it calls Mississippian Plateau and 42.7% in New Albany-Chattanooga Shale, with 2 smaller areas beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11), and the second 14, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippian Plateau | Mississippian marine limestones, dolomites, marine sandstones, siltstones, and shales. | Moderate | 11 | 54.6% |
| New Albany-Chattanooga Shale | Devonian/Mississippian Black shale. | High | 14 | 42.7% |
| Cumberland Plateau | Pennsylvanian sandstones, siltstones, and shales. | Moderate | 9 | 1.4% |
| Outer Bluegrass | Ordovician-Devonian limestone and shale. | Moderate | 11 | 1.3% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Estill County beside the ground around it
Estill County has more high-potential ground than Kentucky as a whole: 42.7% of its land against 18.2%. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Madison County comes nearest at 38.7%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Estill County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Estill County
- Kentucky's radon programKentucky Board of Radon SafetyKentucky's radon program answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules in Kentucky.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsAsk the program whether it has free or discounted kits, or compare kits you can buy.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Kentucky8 professionals are listed in Kentucky.
What Kentucky's program says
- Phone
- 502-782-2782
- Radon@ky.gov
What it means
Estill County, Questions
Questions about radon in Estill County
Are radon levels high in Estill County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 44.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Estill County, Kentucky were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.2 pCi/L. Of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 23 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 43.7%.
Which counties border Estill County?
Estill County borders 5 counties: Powell County, Lee County, Madison County, Jackson County and Clark County.
Products
Estill County, Products
Testing a home in Estill County
In Estill County, 44.1% of 177 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 Estill County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
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
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-1011 rechargeable radon detector with a screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Estill County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Estill County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Powell CountyEPA zone 2
44.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.2 pCi/L · 29 tests · 0.7 points above Estill County
- Radon levels in Madison CountyEPA zone 2
38.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.9 pCi/L · 604 tests · 5.4 points below Estill County
- Radon levels in Clark CountyEPA zone 1
29.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.4 pCi/L · 231 tests · 15.1 points below Estill County
- Radon levels in Lee CountyEPA zone 2
5.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.2 pCi/L · 18 tests · 38.5 points below Estill County
- Radon levels in Jackson CountyEPA zone 2
0.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 11 tests · 44.1 points below Estill County
Estill County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Estill County
About 13,962 people live in Estill County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 194 fewer than in 2020 (−1.4%). That works out to 55 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Irvine, the largest, has 2,273 residents, 16.3% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 20.3% of those residents; the other 79.7% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 177 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 12.7 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.3 for Kentucky.
From Irvine to Ravenna, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Estill County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irvine | 2,273 | −3.5% | 16.3% |
| Ravenna | 555 | −2.8% | 4.0% |
2 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).
Estill County, Homes
Homes in Estill County
Of Estill County's 6,847 homes, 65% are detached houses, against 68% across Kentucky; 21% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1980, close to Kentucky's 1982: 25% date from before 1960 and 17% from 2000 or later. 72% 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 | Estill County | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 6,847 | 2,010,655 |
| Detached houses | 65% | 68% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 7% | 12% |
| Mobile homes | 21% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 25% | 22% |
| Built since 2000 | 17% | 24% |
| Middle year built | 1980 | 1982 |
| Owner-occupied | 72% | 68% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.