Skip to content
RADON411

Locations and reports

Radon Levels in Laurel County, Kentucky

EPA puts Laurel County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 22.0% of its 100 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

    22.0%

    21.7 pts below KY

    Laurel
    22.0%
    Kentucky
    43.7%

    100 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.9pCi/L

    Below action level

    Laurel
    1.9 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    100

    36th of 69 by tests

    Laurel
    100
    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

    58 of 69

    Lowest quarter

    Laurel
    22.0%
    Meade
    68.4%

    By share, of 69 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Laurel County

Starts at Laurel County's median, 1.9 pCi/L

1.9pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.9 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. Laurel County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Laurel County, At a glance

Laurel County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Laurel 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 Laurel County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory

Reported results by concentration band, Laurel County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 50%2 to 4 pCi/L: 28%4 pCi/L and above: 22%

Of 100 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Laurel County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L5050.0%
2 to 4 pCi/L2828.0%
4 pCi/L and above2222.0%
What these figures count

These are the 100 tests reported to CDC for Laurel 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

Laurel County, Compared

Laurel County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Laurel County's 100 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 1.9 pCi/L and a maximum of 11.2 pCi/L, and 22.0% reached 4 pCi/L. Kentucky as a whole (120 Kentucky counties, pooled) comes to 43.7%: 21.7 points higher than here.

Among its state's counties it ranks 58th 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, 50 tests (50.0%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 33.2% statewide, and 28 tests (28.0%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.1% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Laurel County went from 61 tests (2005 to 2014) to 100 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 27.9% to 22.0%.

EPA's 1993 zone map puts Laurel 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.

Pulaski County, the one bordering county with a figure for the same period, reported 59.5%.

Laurel County against Kentucky, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Laurel County
Laurel County10022.0%1.9 pCi/LThis county
Kentucky, pooled120 counties, pooled28,79343.7%Not pooled+21.7 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+13.7 points
Meade Countyhighest in the state11768.4%8.2 pCi/L+46.4 points
Hopkins Countylowest in the state429.5%1.7 pCi/L−12.5 points
Pulaski County, KYborders it39559.5%5.1 pCi/L+37.5 points
Rockcastle County, KYborders it1442.9%3.0 pCi/L+20.9 points
Clay County, KYborders it1020.0%2.1 pCi/L−2.0 points
Knox County, KYborders it2910.3%2.1 pCi/L−11.7 points
Whitley County, KYborders it234.3%1.6 pCi/L−17.7 points
Jackson County, KYborders it110.0%1.8 pCi/L−22.0 points
McCreary County, KYborders it90.0%1.2 pCi/L−22.0 points
Where Laurel County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Kentucky and the United States
ResultLaurel County testsLaurel County shareKentucky shareU.S. shareAgainst Kentucky
Under 2 pCi/L5050.0%33.2%39.6%+16.8 points
2 to 4 pCi/L2828.0%23.1%24.7%+4.9 points
4 pCi/L and above2222.0%43.7%35.7%−21.7 points
Laurel 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
Anderson County53 of 6922625.2%2.2 pCi/L
Mason County54 of 693225.0%2.6 pCi/L
Russell County54 of 693225.0%2.9 pCi/L
Henderson County56 of 695424.1%2.3 pCi/L
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
Laurel County ten-year laboratory totals, against Kentucky's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestKentucky, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 201710022.0%1.9 pCi/L11.2 pCi/L43.7%+0.4 points
2007 to 20169721.6%2.0 pCi/L11.2 pCi/L45.1%−1.0 points
2006 to 20159322.6%2.1 pCi/L11.2 pCi/L46.4%−5.3 points
2005 to 20146127.9%2.1 pCi/L11.2 pCi/L47.3%First on file

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

Laurel County, Geology

The ground under Laurel County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Laurel County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. 97.7% 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 Laurel County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Cumberland PlateauPennsylvanian sandstones, siltstones, and shales.Moderate997.7%
Mississippian PlateauMississippian marine limestones, dolomites, marine sandstones, siltstones, and shales.Moderate112.3%

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

Laurel County beside the ground around it

Across Kentucky 18.2% of the land is rated high; none of Laurel County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, 2 have more high-potential ground, Pulaski County the most at 31.3%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Laurel County, the 7 counties bordering it and Kentucky
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Laurel CountyZone 2None100%None
Rockcastle CountyZone 2None85.7%14.3%
Jackson CountyZone 2None100%None
Clay CountyZone 2None100%None
Knox CountyZone 2None100%None
Whitley CountyZone 20.6%99.4%None
Pulaski CountyZone 1None68.7%31.3%
McCreary CountyZone 212.7%87.3%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

Laurel County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Laurel County

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

What it means

Laurel County, Questions

Questions about radon in Laurel County

Are radon levels high in Laurel County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 22.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Laurel County, Kentucky were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.9 pCi/L. Of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 57 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 43.7%.

Which counties border Laurel County?

Laurel County borders 7 counties: Rockcastle County, Jackson County, Clay County, Knox County, Whitley County, Pulaski County and McCreary County.

Products

Laurel County, Products

Testing a home in Laurel County

In Laurel County, 22.0% of 100 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 Laurel County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Laurel County homes, compared

Explore

Laurel County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Laurel County

Calculated by Radon411

Laurel County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Laurel County

The Census Bureau estimates 63,746 residents in Laurel County for July 1, 2025, 1,013 more than in 2020 (+1.6%). That works out to 147 people per square mile of land. Corbin, the largest place on its list (7,911 residents in all), extends beyond Laurel County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. Reported testing is thin here: 100 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 1.6 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Kentucky as a whole comes to 6.3.

From Corbin to London, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Laurel County's.

The cities and towns in Laurel County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Corbinextends beyond Laurel County7,911+1.0%Counted whole
London7,637+1.1%12.0%

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). A place that extends beyond Laurel County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Laurel County, Homes

Homes in Laurel County

Of Laurel County's 26,705 homes, 61% are detached houses, against 68% across Kentucky; 27% are mobile homes. Much of Laurel County is recent building: 30% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1991, against 1982 for Kentucky. 71% 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 Laurel County, Kentucky, 2019 to 2023
HomesLaurel CountyKentucky
Housing units26,7052,010,655
Detached houses61%68%
In buildings of 5 or more5%12%
Mobile homes27%11%
Built before 196011%22%
Built since 200030%24%
Middle year built19911982
Owner-occupied71%68%

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