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Radon Levels in Charlevoix County, Michigan

EPA puts Charlevoix County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and most reported tests there come back low, though 9.8% of 502 (2008 to 2017, laboratory totals) reached 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

    9.8%

    17.1 pts below MI

    Charlevoix
    9.8%
    Michigan
    26.9%

    502 tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Median result

    1.4pCi/L

    Below action level

    Charlevoix
    1.4 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017

  • Tests reported

    502

    46th of 82 by tests

    Charlevoix
    502
    Oakland
    16,224

    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 Michigan

    69 of 82

    Lowest quarter

    Charlevoix
    9.8%
    Lenawee
    56.7%

    By share, of 82 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Charlevoix County

Starts at Charlevoix County's median, 1.4 pCi/L

1.4pCi/L

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

EPA’s reading of 1.4 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. Charlevoix County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.

Interpret this reading

The data

Charlevoix County, At a glance

Charlevoix County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Charlevoix 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 83% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

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

Reported results by concentration band, Charlevoix County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
Under 2 pCi/L: 64%2 to 4 pCi/L: 26%4 pCi/L and above: 10%

Of 502 pre-mitigation tests reported to CDC, not homes in this area.

Reported results by concentration band, Charlevoix County, 2008 to 2017, laboratory: data table
Result bandTests MeasuredShare Measured
Under 2 pCi/L32063.7%
2 to 4 pCi/L13326.5%
4 pCi/L and above499.8%
What these figures count

These are the 502 tests reported to CDC for Charlevoix 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

Charlevoix County, Compared

Charlevoix County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

Charlevoix County reports fewer high tests than Michigan overall. 9.8% of its 502 tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 17.1 points below the 26.9% pooled from 83 Michigan counties.

Ordered from highest share down, it comes 69th of 82 Michigan counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Charlevoix County sits 25.9 points below it.

Next door, the shares run from 8.0% in Cheboygan County to 38.2% in Otsego County, with Cheboygan County below Charlevoix County. The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 2 label for Charlevoix County (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L): 9.8% of them reached 4 pCi/L, fewer than that label suggests.

Half the tests came in under 1.4 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 13.0 pCi/L. The rest split 63.7% under 2 pCi/L and 26.5% from 2 to 4 (Michigan: 46.4% and 26.7%).

CDC's ten-year totals for Charlevoix County went from 540 tests (2005 to 2014) to 502 (2008 to 2017), the share going from 11.9% to 9.8%.

Charlevoix County against Michigan, the United States and nearby counties, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Charlevoix County
Charlevoix County5029.8%1.4 pCi/LThis county
Michigan, pooled83 counties, pooled114,40726.9%Not pooled+17.1 points
United States, pooled2,661 counties, pooled2,013,54435.7%Not pooled+25.9 points
Lenawee Countyhighest in the state1,90756.7%4.6 pCi/L+46.9 points
Muskegon Countylowest in the state6293.2%1.2 pCi/L−6.6 points
Otsego County, MIborders it1,08038.2%3.2 pCi/L+28.4 points
Emmet County, MIborders it81515.2%1.6 pCi/L+5.4 points
Antrim County, MIborders it34312.0%1.5 pCi/L+2.2 points
Cheboygan County, MIborders it4658.0%0.8 pCi/L−1.8 points
Where Charlevoix County's reported results fell, 2008 to 2017, laboratory, beside Michigan and the United States
ResultCharlevoix County testsCharlevoix County shareMichigan shareU.S. shareAgainst Michigan
Under 2 pCi/L32063.7%46.4%39.6%+17.3 points
2 to 4 pCi/L13326.5%26.7%24.7%−0.2 points
4 pCi/L and above499.8%26.9%35.7%−17.1 points
Charlevoix County ranked among the 82 Michigan counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2008 to 2017, laboratory
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Grand Traverse County64 of 821,61411.5%1.4 pCi/L
Ontonagon County65 of 8212311.4%1.3 pCi/L
Baraga County66 of 8216311.0%1.1 pCi/L
Houghton County67 of 821,09310.8%1.1 pCi/L
Osceola County68 of 8224610.6%1.7 pCi/L
Charlevoix County69 of 825029.8%1.4 pCi/L
Wexford County70 of 826219.7%1.5 pCi/L
Arenac County71 of 82798.9%0.7 pCi/L
Benzie County72 of 823348.7%1.3 pCi/L
Bay County73 of 826248.5%1.4 pCi/L
Cheboygan County74 of 824658.0%0.8 pCi/L
Charlevoix County ten-year laboratory totals, against Michigan's pooled share
PeriodTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestMichigan, pooledChange from the row before
2008 to 20175029.8%1.4 pCi/L13.0 pCi/L26.9%−0.1 points
2007 to 20164939.9%1.5 pCi/L13.0 pCi/L26.8%−0.9 points
2006 to 201558310.8%1.4 pCi/L29.0 pCi/L26.8%−1.1 points
2005 to 201454011.9%1.4 pCi/L29.0 pCi/L26.2%First on file

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

Charlevoix County, State data

Michigan's own radon test data

Measured

What Michigan's own agencies publish about radon tests in Charlevoix County, with their period. These are not CDC's figures and are never added to them.

MeasuredState figures, not CDC's

What Michigan EGLE reports for the ZIP codes in Charlevoix County

Michigan EGLE publishes its figures by ZIP code, not by county. These are the 10 ZIP codes that lie wholly or partly in Charlevoix County, each with the state's own figures for it. Period: About 10 years to 2026-05-15.

ZIP codes in Charlevoix County
ZIP codeWhat the state reports
497129% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.5 pCi/L, 100 tests
4971331% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 2.3 pCi/L, 13 tests
4972010% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.5 pCi/L, 171 tests
497275% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.4 pCi/L, 41 tests
497290% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.4 pCi/L, 10 tests
4973040% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 3.4 pCi/L, 30 tests
497709% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.4 pCi/L, 238 tests
497824 tests, figures not shown
4979514% greater than 4 pCi/L, median 1.8 pCi/L, 22 tests
497961 tests, figures not shown
  • EGLE's figures cover first-time tests only, from organizations willing to provide data.
  • EGLE does not publish figures for a ZIP code with fewer than 5 test results.
  • EGLE says the map is not intended to decide whether a home should be tested: all homes should be tested.
  • ZIP code boundaries are postal delivery areas, not legal or administrative boundaries.
  • A ZIP code that crosses the county line is listed whole; its figures cover all of it.

Measured: Michigan EGLE data, About 10 years to 2026-05-15.

Charlevoix County, Geology

The ground under Charlevoix County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Charlevoix County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. 83.2% of it lies in the area the map calls Antrim Shale, to which USGS gives a radon index of 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Charlevoix County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Antrim ShaleGlacial deposits dervied in part from Antrim black shale.Moderate1083.2%

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

Charlevoix County beside the ground around it

Across Michigan 9.6% of the land is rated high; none of Charlevoix County's is. Of the 4 counties that border it, none has as large a share of moderate-potential ground; Antrim County comes nearest at 77.6%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Charlevoix County, the 4 counties bordering it and Michigan
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Charlevoix CountyZone 2None83.2%None
Antrim CountyZone 222.4%77.6%None
Emmet CountyZone 223.0%76.5%None
Otsego CountyZone 236.2%63.8%None
Cheboygan CountyZone 359.0%40.9%None
Michigan83 counties, pooled by land areaVaries45.0%44.3%9.6%

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

Local help

Charlevoix County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Charlevoix County

What Michigan's program says
Phone
800-723-6642
Email
Radon@Michigan.gov
Licensing of radon professionals
Michigan does not license or regulate radon testing and mitigation contractors.

What it means

Charlevoix County, Questions

Questions about radon in Charlevoix County

Are radon levels high in Charlevoix County?

Over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals, 9.8% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Charlevoix County, Michigan were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.4 pCi/L. Of 82 Michigan counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 68 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 26.9%.

Which counties border Charlevoix County?

Charlevoix County borders 4 counties: Antrim County, Emmet County, Otsego County and Cheboygan County.

Products

Charlevoix County, Products

Testing a home in Charlevoix County

In Charlevoix County, 9.8% of 502 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 26.9% pooled across Michigan. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Charlevoix County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Charlevoix County homes, compared

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Charlevoix County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Charlevoix County

Calculated by Radon411

Charlevoix County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Charlevoix County

Charlevoix County's population has barely moved since 2020: 26,036 residents on July 1, 2025 against 26,042 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 63 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Boyne City, the largest, has 3,793 residents, 14.6% of the total. Together its 4 incorporated places hold 33.5% of those residents; the other 66.5% live outside any of them. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 502 reported tests for 2008 to 2017 come to 19.3 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 11.3 for Michigan.

From Boyne City to Boyne Falls, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Charlevoix County's.

The cities and towns in Charlevoix County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Boyne City3,793−0.4%14.6%
Charlevoix2,325−0.7%8.9%
East Jordan2,243−0.1%8.6%
Boyne Falls374+1.1%1.4%

4 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).

Charlevoix County, Homes

Homes in Charlevoix County

Charlevoix County is a place of houses on their own lots: 79% of its 17,578 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Michigan. Much of Charlevoix County is recent building: 20% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1982, against 1972 for Michigan. Owners live in 83% of the occupied homes (Michigan: 73%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Charlevoix County, Michigan, 2019 to 2023
HomesCharlevoix CountyMichigan
Housing units17,5784,599,683
Detached houses79%72%
In buildings of 5 or more7%13%
Mobile homes8%5%
Built before 196023%36%
Built since 200020%15%
Middle year built19821972
Owner-occupied83%73%

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