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Radon Levels in Fayette County, Kentucky

EPA puts Fayette County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 54.5% of the 5,263 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

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    54.5%

    10.8 pts above KY

    Fayette
    54.5%
    Kentucky
    43.7%

    5,263 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    4.5pCi/L

    Action level reached

    Fayette
    4.5 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    5,263

    2nd of 69 by tests

    Fayette
    5,263
    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

    10 of 69

    Top quarter

    Fayette
    54.5%
    Meade
    68.4%

    By share, of 69 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Fayette County

Starts at Fayette County's median, 4.5 pCi/L

4.5pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 4.5 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. Fayette County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Fayette County, At a glance

Fayette County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Fayette 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 77% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

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

Reported results by concentration band, Fayette County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 25%2 to 4 pCi/L: 20%4 pCi/L and above: 55%

Of 5,263 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Fayette County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L1,31425.0%
2 to 4 pCi/L1,08120.5%
4 pCi/L and above2,86854.5%
What these figures count

These are the 5,263 tests reported to CDC for Fayette 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

Fayette County, Compared

Fayette County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

More than half: 54.5% of the 5,263 radon tests reported to CDC for Fayette County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 10th of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 10.8 points above the 43.7% pooled from 120 Kentucky counties.

The median result, 4.5 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 156.5 pCi/L. The rest split 25.0% under 2 pCi/L and 20.5% from 2 to 4 (Kentucky: 33.2% and 23.1%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 54.5% share point the same way here.

2 of its 6 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Woodford County at 57.9%; Clark County reported 29.0%. 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 Fayette County went from 3,389 tests (2005 to 2014) to 5,263 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 55.8% to 54.5%.

Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Fayette County sits 18.8 points above it. CDC also counts 499 tests taken after mitigation in Fayette County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Fayette County against Kentucky, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Fayette County
Fayette County5,26354.5%4.5 pCi/LThis county
Kentucky, pooled120 counties, pooled28,79343.7%Not pooled−10.8 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled−18.8 points
Meade Countyhighest in the state11768.4%8.2 pCi/L+13.9 points
Hopkins Countylowest in the state429.5%1.7 pCi/L−45.0 points
Woodford County, KYborders it34257.9%4.9 pCi/L+3.4 points
Jessamine County, KYborders it78955.5%4.7 pCi/L+1.0 points
Bourbon County, KYborders it12753.5%4.8 pCi/L−1.0 points
Scott County, KYborders it87546.9%3.6 pCi/L−7.6 points
Madison County, KYborders it60438.7%2.9 pCi/L−15.8 points
Clark County, KYborders it23129.0%2.4 pCi/L−25.5 points
Where Fayette County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Kentucky and the United States
ResultFayette County testsFayette County shareKentucky shareU.S. shareAgainst Kentucky
Under 2 pCi/L1,31425.0%33.2%39.6%−8.2 points
2 to 4 pCi/L1,08120.5%23.1%24.7%−2.6 points
4 pCi/L and above2,86854.5%43.7%35.7%+10.8 points
Fayette 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
Wayne County5 of 696460.9%5.0 pCi/L
Pulaski County6 of 6939559.5%5.1 pCi/L
Woodford County7 of 6934257.9%4.9 pCi/L
Taylor County8 of 699157.1%4.4 pCi/L
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
Fayette County ten-year laboratory totals, against Kentucky's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestKentucky, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 20175,26354.5%4.5 pCi/L156.5 pCi/L43.7%−0.3 points
2007 to 20164,70554.8%4.6 pCi/L174.7 pCi/L45.1%−0.7 points
2006 to 20154,09055.5%4.7 pCi/L174.7 pCi/L46.4%−0.3 points
2005 to 20143,38955.8%4.8 pCi/L174.7 pCi/L47.3%First on file

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

Fayette County, Geology

The ground under Fayette County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Fayette County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 76.8% of its land is high radon potential, with 23.2% moderate. The map puts 76.8% of Fayette County in the area it calls Inner Bluegrass and 23.2% in Outer Bluegrass. USGS gives the first a radon index of 13, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Fayette County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Inner BluegrassOrdovician limestones, dolomites and shales.High1376.8%
Outer BluegrassOrdovician-Devonian limestone and shale.Moderate1123.2%

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

Fayette County beside the ground around it

Fayette County has more high-potential ground than Kentucky as a whole: 76.8% of its land against 18.2%. Of the 6 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Woodford County the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Fayette County, the 6 counties bordering it and Kentucky
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Fayette CountyZone 1None23.2%76.8%
Jessamine CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Woodford CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Clark CountyZone 1None73.0%27.0%
Bourbon CountyZone 1None55.9%44.1%
Scott CountyZone 1None49.3%50.7%
Madison CountyZone 2None61.3%38.7%
Kentucky120 counties, pooled by land areaVaries5.7%76.1%18.2%

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

Local help

Fayette County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Fayette County

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

What it means

Fayette County, Questions

Questions about radon in Fayette County

Are radon levels high in Fayette County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 54.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Fayette County, Kentucky were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.5 pCi/L. Of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 9 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 43.7%.

Which counties border Fayette County?

Fayette County borders 6 counties: Jessamine County, Woodford County, Clark County, Bourbon County, Scott County and Madison County.

Products

Fayette County, Products

Testing a home in Fayette County

In Fayette County, 54.5% of 5,263 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 Fayette 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

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

Explore

Fayette County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Fayette County

Calculated by Radon411

Fayette County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Fayette County

The Census Bureau estimates 329,751 residents in Fayette County for July 1, 2025, 7,131 more than in 2020 (+2.2%). Packed into its land, that is 1,163 people per square mile. Lexington-Fayette, its one incorporated place, has 329,751 residents, 100.0% of the total. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 5,263 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 16.0 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 6.3 for Kentucky.

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

Lexington-Fayette, Fayette County: residents on July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Lexington-Fayette329,751+2.2%100.0%

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).

Fayette County, Homes

Homes in Fayette County

Of Fayette County's 147,720 homes, 58% are detached houses, against 68% across Kentucky; 26% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1983, close to Kentucky's 1982: 18% date from before 1960 and 26% from 2000 or later. 54% 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 Fayette County, Kentucky, 2019 to 2023
HomesFayette CountyKentucky
Housing units147,7202,010,655
Detached houses58%68%
In buildings of 5 or more26%12%
Mobile homes1%11%
Built before 196018%22%
Built since 200026%24%
Middle year built19831982
Owner-occupied54%68%

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