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
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Russell County, Kentucky
EPA puts Russell County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and 25.0% of its 32 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
Share at 4+ pCi/L
25.0%
18.7 pts below KY
- Russell
- 25.0%
- Kentucky
- 43.7%
32 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
2.9pCi/L
Below action level
- Russell
- 2.9 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
32
68th of 69 by tests
- Russell
- 32
- Jefferson
- 6,590
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Kentucky
54 of 69
Lowest quarter
- Russell
- 25.0%
- Meade
- 68.4%
By share, of 69 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Russell County
Starts at Russell County's median, 2.9 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 2.9 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. Russell County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Russell County, At a glance
Russell County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Russell County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 100% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Russell County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 44%2 to 4 pCi/L: 31%4 pCi/L and above: 25%
Of 32 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 14 | 43.8% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 10 | 31.3% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 8 | 25.0% |
What these figures count
These are the 32 tests reported to CDC for Russell 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).
Russell County, Compared
Russell County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Russell County's 32 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals had a middle value of 2.9 pCi/L and a maximum of 14.0 pCi/L, and 25.0% reached 4 pCi/L. Kentucky as a whole (120 Kentucky counties, pooled) comes to 43.7%: 18.7 points higher than here.
Among its state's counties it ranks 54th 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, 14 tests (43.8%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 33.2% statewide, and 10 tests (31.3%) fell between 2 and 4, against 23.1% statewide. CDC's ten-year totals for Russell County went from 30 tests (2005 to 2014) to 32 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 26.7% to 25.0%.
EPA's 1993 zone map puts Russell County in Zone 1, a predicted county average above 4 pCi/L. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential.
Next door, the shares run from 32.6% in Casey County to 60.9% in Wayne County.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Russell County, Geology
The ground under Russell County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Russell County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. 96.0% of it lies in the area the map calls Eastern Pennyroyal, to which USGS gives a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Pennyroyal | Marine shale, sandstone and limestone. | High | 12 | 96.0% |
| Nashville Basin | Mississippian Limestone. | High | 14 | 4.0% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Russell County beside the ground around it
Russell County has more high-potential ground than Kentucky as a whole: 100% of its land against 18.2%. Of the 6 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Adair County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Russell County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Russell 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
Russell County, Questions
Questions about radon in Russell County
Are radon levels high in Russell County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 25.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Russell County, Kentucky were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.9 pCi/L. Of 69 Kentucky counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 53 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 43.7%.
Which counties border Russell County?
Russell County borders 6 counties: Adair County, Wayne County, Clinton County, Casey County, Pulaski County and Cumberland County.
Products
Russell County, Products
Testing a home in Russell County
In Russell County, 25.0% of 32 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 Russell 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
Monitor
RM-65 rechargeable radon detector with a color screen and alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
Short-term kit
RA100 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Russell County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Russell County
Explore
Russell County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Russell County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Wayne CountyEPA zone 2
60.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.0 pCi/L · 64 tests · 35.9 points above Russell County
- Radon levels in Pulaski CountyEPA zone 1
59.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.1 pCi/L · 395 tests · 34.5 points above Russell County
- Radon levels in Cumberland CountyEPA zone 1
55.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.6 pCi/L · 18 tests · 30.6 points above Russell County
- Radon levels in Clinton CountyEPA zone 2
47.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 40 tests · 22.5 points above Russell County
- Radon levels in Adair CountyEPA zone 1
43.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.8 pCi/L · 53 tests · 18.4 points above Russell County
- Radon levels in Casey CountyEPA zone 1
32.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.1 pCi/L · 43 tests · 7.6 points above Russell County
Russell County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Russell County
The Census Bureau estimates 18,608 residents in Russell County for July 1, 2025, 611 more than in 2020 (+3.4%). That works out to 73 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Russell Springs, the largest, has 2,828 residents, 15.2% of the total. Together its 2 incorporated places hold 25.4% of those residents; the other 74.6% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 32 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 1.7 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Kentucky as a whole comes to 6.3.
From Russell Springs to Jamestown, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Russell County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Springs | 2,828 | +3.7% | 15.2% |
| Jamestown | 1,901 | +2.4% | 10.2% |
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).
Russell County, Homes
Homes in Russell County
Of Russell County's 10,146 homes, 70% are detached houses, against 68% across Kentucky; 21% are mobile homes. Half of its homes were built before 1989, close to Kentucky's 1982: 13% date from before 1960 and 28% 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 | Russell County | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 10,146 | 2,010,655 |
| Detached houses | 70% | 68% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 4% | 12% |
| Mobile homes | 21% | 11% |
| Built before 1960 | 13% | 22% |
| Built since 2000 | 28% | 24% |
| Middle year built | 1989 | 1982 |
| Owner-occupied | 74% | 68% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.