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Radon Levels in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Zone 1Highest predicted potential1,580 square miles · 10 bordering counties

What this means for you

  • Your area: EPA rates Worcester County Zone 1, the highest of its three radon zones. That is a prediction for the whole county, and homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones.
  • Local tests: Of 46,440 radon tests reported to CDC for Worcester County (2008 to 2017), 33.5% were at or above 4 pCi/L, EPA's action level.
  • Your home: The only way to know your home’s level is to test it.

pCi/L (picocuries per liter) is the unit radon is measured in. EPA recommends fixing a home at 4 pCi/L or above, its action level.

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 33.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Worcester County, Massachusetts came back at or above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L, and the median result was 2.6 pCi/L. EPA's Map of Radon Zones places the county in Zone 1, highest predicted potential. Radon levels vary from home to home, so only a test measures the level in yours.

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county as a whole.

This is a county-level geologic prediction. It is not a measurement of any address, and houses with elevated radon are found in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: Low across 85% of the county's land area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

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

Tests reported
46,440
At or above 4 pCi/L
33.5%
Median result
2.6 pCi/L
Reported results by concentration band, Worcester County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 40%2 to 4 pCi/L: 27%4 pCi/L and above: 34%

Of 46,440 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area. CDC publishes the share in each band, not a count per band, so the per-band counts in the table are calculated by Radon411 and rounded to add up to the published total.

Reported results by concentration band, Worcester County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests Calculated by Radon411Share Measured
Under 2 pCi/L18,50239.8%
2 to 4 pCi/L12,36526.6%
4 pCi/L and above15,57333.5%

Distribution of tested buildings, not this house. People testing before a sale, or because they suspect a problem, are over-represented in any reported testing data.

Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2008 to 2017, laboratory. Measured data period: 2005 to 2017 (every CDC figure on file).

Worcester County, In figures

Worcester County in figures

What the published data says about Worcester County, in words. A zone and a share of tests describe an area, never the level in any one home.

    • Predicted

      Predicted

      EPA places Worcester County in Zone 1, highest predicted potential, as it does 2 other counties of Massachusetts's 14.

      Of the 10 bordering counties, EPA places Middlesex County in Zone 1 and Cheshire County, Franklin County, Hampden County, Hampshire County, Hillsborough, Norfolk County, Providence County, Tolland County and Windham County in Zone 2.

  • Reported tests

    Measured

    CDC publishes no annual figure for Worcester County; its figure is a laboratory total for 2008 to 2017: 33.5% of 46,440 reported tests were at or above 4 pCi/L.

  • Local record

    Massachusetts's radon program is the Radon Unit, run by Department of Public Health; its contacts are under Local resources.

    The county's largest incorporated places are Worcester, Leominster and Fitchburg; the figures here cover them as part of the county.

Worcester County, Comparison

How Worcester County compares

Measured

Worcester County's own published CDC figures beside those of the counties that border it, for the same period.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L

Measured

2008 to 2017, laboratory, highest first. Each county’s own published CDC figure.

  1. HillsboroughNH5,528 tests34.4%
  2. Windham CountyCT1,340 tests33.7%
  3. Worcester CountyThis page46,440 tests33.5%
  4. Tolland CountyCT1,316 tests26.8%
  5. Franklin CountyMA802 tests22.3%
  6. Middlesex CountyMA75,220 tests22.0%
  7. Norfolk CountyMA39,205 tests21.2%
  8. Cheshire CountyNH952 tests20.4%
  9. Hampshire CountyMA2,457 tests18.8%
  10. Providence CountyRI17,655 tests16.8%
  11. Hampden CountyMA3,452 tests13.1%

Median reported result

Measured

2008 to 2017, laboratory, highest first. Each county’s own published CDC figure.

  1. Windham CountyCT1,340 tests2.6 pCi/L
  2. Worcester CountyThis page46,440 tests2.6 pCi/L
  3. HillsboroughNH5,528 tests2.5 pCi/L
  4. Tolland CountyCT1,316 tests2.2 pCi/L
  5. Middlesex CountyMA75,220 tests1.9 pCi/L
  6. Cheshire CountyNH952 tests1.8 pCi/L
  7. Norfolk CountyMA39,205 tests1.8 pCi/L
  8. Franklin CountyMA802 tests1.6 pCi/L
  9. Providence CountyRI17,655 tests1.6 pCi/L
  10. Hampshire CountyMA2,457 tests1.5 pCi/L
  11. Hampden CountyMA3,452 tests1.3 pCi/L

Each figure is that county’s own published CDC figure for 2008 to 2017, laboratory, counting radon tests reported to CDC, not homes. Worcester County is this page. Nothing is averaged or combined across counties. The test count beside each county is CDC’s published number of pre-mitigation tests behind its figures. Figures from few tests can swing widely from year to year. Every Massachusetts county’s own figure is in the Massachusetts county table.

CDC publishes this figure only for counties here, so there is no state or national number to compare Worcester County, Massachusetts with.

Worcester County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Worcester County

Calculated by Radon411

Worcester County, Local resources

Local resources in Massachusetts

Who to ask in Massachusetts: the state's radon program, test kits and professionals.

Radon Unit

Department of Public Health

Massachusetts’s radon program answers questions about testing, mitigation and the rules where you live.

Phone
(800) 723-6695
Email
DPHIAQ.radon@mass.gov
Visit the program's page(opens in a new tab)

Test kits

Ask the program whether it has free or discounted kits, or compare kits you can buy.

Radon professionals

2 professionals are listed in Massachusetts.

Professionals in Massachusetts

Worcester County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Worcester County

The radon figures on this page are for Worcester County as a whole. They do not differ by city or town.

  • Worcester
  • Leominster
  • Fitchburg
  • Gardner
  • Southbridge Town

5 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files.

Worcester County, Questions

Questions about radon in Worcester County

Common questions8 questions, answered from the figures above

Who does radon mitigation in Worcester County?

No listed mitigator names Worcester County as a service area yet; the Massachusetts directory lists 2 companies. EPA recommends having a qualified contractor fix a home with a radon problem, because lowering high radon levels takes technical knowledge and special skills, and some states require the work to be done by a licensed or certified professional. Your state radon program is the place to check whether Massachusetts requires one.

How radon mitigation worksWhat mitigation costsMitigators in Massachusetts

Are radon levels high in Worcester County?

In 2017, 33.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Worcester County, Massachusetts were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.6 pCi/L. That is a share of reported tests, not of homes. EPA places Worcester County in Zone 1, highest predicted potential, a predicted average indoor screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so the figures describe the area, not your house. Testing is the only way to know the radon level in a specific building.

What a radon level meansRadon in Massachusetts

How do I get a radon test in Worcester County?

EPA says you can test your home yourself or hire a qualified radon test company, and that either approach takes only a small amount of time and effort. No certified tester listed on Radon411 names Worcester County as a service area yet. The Massachusetts radon program is the place to ask about certified testers and any test kit offer it runs.

How to test a homeTest kits comparedFree and low-cost kits by stateMassachusetts radon program

What EPA radon zone is Worcester County in?

EPA places Worcester County, Massachusetts in Zone 1, which EPA describes as highest predicted potential for the area. A zone is a prediction for the whole county and never determines whether a particular home should be tested. EPA recommends testing every home regardless of zone.

Should I test my home in Worcester County?

Yes. Testing is the only way to know the radon level in a specific building. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. EPA recommends considering a fix when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. How to test a home.

When is the best time of year to test?

EPA says short-term tests stay in the home from 2 to 90 days and that all radon tests should run a minimum of 48 hours; long-term tests stay more than 90 days. EPA's guides do not name a best season: they say radon levels tend to vary from day to day and season to season, so a long-term test is more likely than a short-term test to tell you the year-round average.

What does it cost to test?

EPA's Citizen's Guide calls testing easy and inexpensive, and EPA's Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide says passive short-term and long-term devices are generally inexpensive, while active devices may cost more. No national average price is published for this, so Radon411 does not give one. What testing costs.

Which counties border Worcester County?

Worcester County borders 10 counties, derived from Census county geometry. Radon potential follows geology rather than county lines, so a bordering county's report can be relevant.

What these figures mean if you own, buy, sell or rent

The reported-test figures on this page describe Worcester County, Massachusetts in 2017. They describe tests other people carried out in other buildings, and none of them measures yours.

  • If you own your home

    Test the lowest lived-in level; a short-term kit screens in days, a long-term kit reflects the year.

    How to test a home
  • If you are buying

    Ask for past results and any system's post-mitigation test, and test during the sale.

    Buying a house: radon guide
  • If you are selling

    Testing before you list puts the timing in your hands; disclosure rules differ by state.

    Selling a house: radon guide
  • If you rent, or rent out a home

    A tenant can test; a fix is the owner's to make, and duties differ by state.

    Radon in rental homes

How long a test has to run, under what conditions, and what EPA says a result means: the testing standard, in full.

Worcester County, Products

Testing and mitigation products

Whatever the figures for Worcester County show, only a test tells you about one home.

Worcester County / Next steps

What to do next

Informational. Follow EPA guidance. EPA says all radon tests should be taken for a minimum of 48 hours, with windows and doors closed from 12 hours before a short-term test.