Short-term kit
RA100 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Kent County, Maryland
EPA puts Kent County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and high results are common there: 52.6% of the 57 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
52.6%
28.7 pts above MD
- Kent
- 52.6%
- Maryland
- 23.9%
57 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
4.4pCi/L
Action level reached
- Kent
- 4.4 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
57
18th of 19 by tests
- Kent
- 57
- Montgomery
- 10,969
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 3
Lower potential
- 1
- 2
- Zone 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts under 2 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Maryland
2 of 19
Top quarter
- Kent
- 52.6%
- Washington
- 56.0%
By share, of 19 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Kent County
Starts at Kent County's median, 4.4 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.4 pCi/L
At or above 4 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 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. Kent County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Kent County, At a glance
Kent County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 89% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Kent County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 26%2 to 4 pCi/L: 21%4 pCi/L and above: 53%
Of 57 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.
| Result band | Tests Measured | Share Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 pCi/L | 15 | 26.3% |
| 2 to 4 pCi/L | 12 | 21.1% |
| 4 pCi/L and above | 30 | 52.6% |
What these figures count
These are the 57 tests reported to CDC for Kent 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).
Kent County, Compared
Kent County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 52.6% of the 57 radon tests reported to CDC for Kent County over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 2nd of 19 Maryland counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 28.7 points above the 23.9% pooled from 24 Maryland counties.
The median result, 4.4 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 54.5 pCi/L. The rest split 26.3% under 2 pCi/L and 21.1% from 2 to 4 (Maryland: 56.6% and 19.5%). The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 3 label for Kent County (predicted average under 2 pCi/L): 52.6% of them reached 4 pCi/L, more than a low-potential zone suggests.
No bordering county with a figure for the same period reported a higher share; the closest is Cecil County at 24.9%, the lowest Queen Anne's County at 16.9%. Statewide for the same period, Washington County reported the highest share (56.0%) and Wicomico County the lowest (0.0%).
CDC's ten-year totals for Kent County went from 47 tests (2005 to 2014) to 57 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 61.7% to 52.6%.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Kent County sits 16.9 points above it. CDC also counts 5 tests taken after mitigation in Kent County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Kent County, Geology
The ground under Kent County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Kent County's mapped land in one class: low radon potential. 89.4% of it lies in the area the map calls Eastern Shore, to which USGS gives a radon index of 7, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Shore | Quaternary coastal sand, silt. | Low | 7 | 89.4% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Kent County beside the ground around it
Across Maryland 36.7% of the land is rated high; none of Kent County's is. Of the 4 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Cecil County the most at 38.0%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Kent County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Kent County
- Maryland's radon programMaryland Department of HealthMaryland's radon program offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Maryland.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Maryland residents may be eligible for a free radon test kit.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Maryland5 professionals are listed in Maryland.
What Maryland's program says
- Phone
- 1-866-703-3266
What it means
Kent County, Questions
Questions about radon in Kent County
Are radon levels high in Kent County?
Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 52.6% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Kent County, Maryland were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.4 pCi/L. Of 19 Maryland counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 1 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 23.9%.
Which counties border Kent County?
Kent County borders 4 counties: Queen Anne's County, MD, Cecil County, MD, Kent County, DE and New Castle County, DE.
Products
Kent County, Products
Testing a home in Kent County
In Kent County, 52.6% of 57 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 23.9% pooled across Maryland. Zone 3 is the lowest label, yet homes at or above 4 pCi/L occur in every zone: a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Kent County.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-3699 radon monitor with a 2.1-inch touchscreen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 1 hour
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Kent County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Kent County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Cecil County, MDEPA zone 2
24.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.9 pCi/L · 1,071 tests · 27.7 points below Kent County
- Radon levels in New Castle County, DEEPA zone 2
17.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 10,247 tests · 35.6 points below Kent County
- Radon levels in Queen Anne's County, MDEPA zone 3
16.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.3 pCi/L · 65 tests · 35.7 points below Kent County
- Radon levels in Kent County, DEEPA zone 3
16.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 1,516 tests · 35.7 points below Kent County
Kent County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Kent County
The Census Bureau estimates 19,565 residents in Kent County for July 1, 2025, 440 more than in 2020 (+2.3%). That works out to 71 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Chestertown, has 5,658 residents, 28.9% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 57 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 2.9 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Maryland as a whole comes to 7.7.
From Chestertown to Betterton, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Kent County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chestertown | 5,658 | +2.6% | 28.9% |
| Rock Hall | 1,208 | +1.7% | 6.2% |
| Millingtonextends beyond Kent County | 544 | −0.4% | Counted whole |
| Galena | 541 | Level | 2.8% |
| Betterton | 283 | −0.7% | 1.4% |
5 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 Kent County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Kent County, Homes
Homes in Kent County
Kent County is a place of houses on their own lots: 80% of its 10,326 homes are detached single-family houses, against 51% across Maryland. Half of its homes were built before 1977, close to Maryland's 1979: 33% date from before 1960 and 21% from 2000 or later. 72% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Maryland: 67%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Kent County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 10,326 | 2,545,532 |
| Detached houses | 80% | 51% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 8% | 23% |
| Mobile homes | 3% | 1% |
| Built before 1960 | 33% | 27% |
| Built since 2000 | 21% | 20% |
| Middle year built | 1977 | 1979 |
| Owner-occupied | 72% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.