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Radon Levels in Chisago County, Minnesota

EPA puts Chisago County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and 34.9% of its 166 reported radon tests (2023) 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

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  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    34.9%

    0.3 pts above MN

    Chisago
    34.9%
    Minnesota
    34.6%

    166 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    2.9pCi/L

    Below action level

    Chisago
    2.9 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    166

    18th of 62 by tests

    Chisago
    166
    Hennepin
    6,545

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023

  • 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 Minnesota

    45 of 62

    Middle half

    Chisago
    34.9%
    Renville
    75.7%

    By share, of 62 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Chisago County

Starts at Chisago County's median, 2.9 pCi/L

2.9pCi/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

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 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. Chisago County's median reported result, 2023.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Chisago County, At a glance

Chisago County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential

Chisago 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: High across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Chisago County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Chisago County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Chisago County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201430.4%
201537.4%
201628.2%
201727.3%
201837.3%
201933.9%
202021.3%
202135.9%
202244.0%
202334.9%

2023: 34.9%. Across these years the share ran from 21.3% to 44.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 166 tests reported to CDC for Chisago County over 2023, 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: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Chisago County, Compared

Chisago County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

In Chisago County, about 3 in 10 reported tests in 2023 (58 of 166) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 33.4%, the gap is 1.5 points higher. Across 86 Minnesota counties pooled together, 34.6% of tests reached that level, so Chisago County runs 0.3 points above its state.

Of 6 neighbours with a figure, 1 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 5 a smaller one; the spread is 19.3% (Anoka County) to 39.6% (Pine County). By share, Chisago County is 45th of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.

Year by year, 2014 opened at 30.4% and 2023 closed at 34.9% (up 4.5 points), with 2022 the high at 44.0%. Half the tests came in under 2.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 57.0 pCi/L. Below the action level, 62 tests (37.3%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 36.6% statewide, and 46 tests (27.7%) fell between 2 and 4, against 28.9% statewide.

Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 34.9% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential.

The busiest year on file was 2015, with 265 tests reported; the quietest, 2019, had 127.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Chisago County against Minnesota2014 to 2023, years with 30 or more tests: Chisago County 30.4% to 34.9%, the state's pooled share 34.6% in 2023.
Chisago CountyMinnesota, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Chisago County against Minnesota: data table
YearTestsChisago County, at or above 4 pCi/LMinnesota, pooled
201426030.4%42.9%
201526537.4%43.6%
201620628.2%37.0%
201720527.3%38.2%
201822837.3%38.3%
201912733.9%36.1%
202019721.3%31.8%
202123135.9%33.1%
202218244.0%31.6%
202316634.9%34.6%
Chisago County against Minnesota, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Chisago County
Chisago County16634.9%2.9 pCi/LThis county
Minnesota, pooled86 counties, pooled22,44934.6%Not pooled−0.3 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled−1.5 points
Renville Countyhighest in the state3775.7%6.3 pCi/L+40.8 points
Lake Countylowest in the state783.8%1.3 pCi/L−31.1 points
Pine County, MNborders it4839.6%2.5 pCi/L+4.7 points
Polk County, WIborders it12233.6%2.8 pCi/L−1.3 points
Kanabec County, MNborders it2528.0%2.9 pCi/L−6.9 points
Burnett County, WIborders it5223.1%1.6 pCi/L−11.8 points
Isanti County, MNborders it6622.7%2.0 pCi/L−12.2 points
Washington County, MNborders it1,51821.3%1.9 pCi/L−13.6 points
Anoka County, MNborders it88019.3%1.9 pCi/L−15.6 points
Where Chisago County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Minnesota and the United States
ResultChisago County testsChisago County shareMinnesota shareU.S. shareAgainst Minnesota
Under 2 pCi/L6237.3%36.6%41.4%+0.7 points
2 to 4 pCi/L4627.7%28.9%25.2%−1.2 points
4 pCi/L and above5834.9%34.6%33.4%+0.3 points
Chisago County ranked among the 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2023
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Rice County40 of 6229740.4%3.2 pCi/L
Pine County41 of 624839.6%2.5 pCi/L
Winona County42 of 6213938.8%3.0 pCi/L
Aitkin County43 of 623138.7%3.1 pCi/L
Morrison County44 of 626235.5%3.0 pCi/L
Chisago County45 of 6216634.9%2.9 pCi/L
Dakota County46 of 622,18334.6%2.9 pCi/L
Carver County47 of 6248934.6%2.8 pCi/L
Blue Earth County48 of 6239232.7%2.2 pCi/L
Hennepin County49 of 626,54532.0%2.7 pCi/L
Crow Wing County50 of 6217730.5%2.7 pCi/L
Chisago County radon tests by year, against Minnesota's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestMinnesota, pooledChange from the row before
202316634.9%2.9 pCi/L57.0 pCi/L34.6%−9.1 points
202218244.0%3.4 pCi/L67.2 pCi/L31.6%+8.1 points
202123135.9%2.9 pCi/L21.4 pCi/L33.1%+14.6 points
202019721.3%2.3 pCi/L16.9 pCi/L31.8%−12.6 points
201912733.9%2.9 pCi/L19.5 pCi/L36.1%−3.4 points
201822837.3%3.0 pCi/L21.3 pCi/L38.3%+10.0 points
201720527.3%2.5 pCi/L20.3 pCi/L38.2%−0.9 points
201620628.2%2.5 pCi/L37.8 pCi/L37.0%−9.2 points
201526537.4%2.9 pCi/L12.6 pCi/L43.6%+7.0 points
201426030.4%2.3 pCi/L36.4 pCi/L42.9%First on file

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

Chisago County, State data

Minnesota's own radon test data

Measured

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

MeasuredState figures, not CDC's

What the Minnesota Department of Health reports for Chisago County

Radon Testing (MN Public Health Data Access Portal): home radon tests reported voluntarily by private laboratories and licensed radon measurement professionals, counted by property. Period: 2016-2025.

Share with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L

28.3%

533 properties tested with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L

Median result

2.4 pCi/L

Average result

3.2 pCi/L

Tests behind these figures

188 properties tested a year on average

  • MDH says these data do not include all of the radon tests conducted in Minnesota.
  • Post-mitigation tests are excluded from the averages and the median; the percentages use each property's highest test.
  • Each home is unique and can have very different results than a neighbor's home; the only way to know is to test.
  • These figures describe tests reported to the Minnesota Department of Health in this area. They count a different set of tests than CDC's figures and are not a reading of any one home.

Measured: Minnesota Department of Health data, 2016-2025.

Chisago County, Geology

The ground under Chisago County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Chisago County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Central Lowland-Till Prairie, to which USGS gives a radon index of 14, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Chisago County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Central Lowland-Till PrairieSilty and clayey till derived from shale and sandstone.High14100%

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

Chisago County beside the ground around it

Chisago County has more high-potential ground than Minnesota as a whole: 100% of its land against 61.1%. Of the 7 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Anoka County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Chisago County, the 7 counties bordering it and Minnesota
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Chisago CountyZone 2NoneNone100%
Polk County, WIZone 2None86.6%13.4%
Isanti CountyZone 2None2.3%97.7%
Anoka CountyZone 2NoneNone100%
Washington CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Kanabec CountyZone 1None98.7%1.3%
Burnett County, WIZone 2None99.7%0.3%
Pine CountyZone 2None88.3%11.7%
Minnesota87 counties, pooled by land areaVariesNone38.9%61.1%

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

Local help

Chisago County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Chisago County

Listed radon professionals by town: Wyoming

What Minnesota's program says
Phone
651-201-4601
Email
health.indoorair@state.mn.us
Licensing of radon professionals
The Radon Licensing Act requires anyone who performs a radon test or radon mitigation, in a building they do not own or lease, must be licensed by MDH.
Disclosure when a home is sold or rented
The Minnesota Radon Awareness Act requires specific disclosure and education be provided to potential home buyers during residential real estate transactions in Minnesota.

What it means

Chisago County, Questions

Questions about radon in Chisago County

Are radon levels high in Chisago County?

In 2023, 34.9% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Chisago County, Minnesota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.9 pCi/L. Of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 44 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 34.6%.

Which counties border Chisago County?

Chisago County borders 7 counties: Polk County, WI, Isanti County, MN, Anoka County, MN, Washington County, MN, Kanabec County, MN, Burnett County, WI and Pine County, MN.

Products

Chisago County, Products

Testing a home in Chisago County

In Chisago County, 34.9% of 166 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 34.6% pooled across Minnesota. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Chisago County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Best radon monitors for Chisago County homes, compared

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Chisago County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Chisago County

Calculated by Radon411

Chisago County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Chisago County

The Census Bureau estimates 59,142 residents in Chisago County for July 1, 2025, 2,419 more than in 2020 (+4.3%). That works out to 143 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, North Branch, has 12,398 residents, 21.0% of the total. Together its 10 incorporated places hold 73.1% of those residents; the other 26.9% live outside any of them. CDC's 166 reported tests for 2023 work out to 2.8 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Minnesota's 3.9.

From North Branch to Center City, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Chisago County's.

The cities and towns in Chisago County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
North Branch12,398+14.2%21.0%
Wyoming8,121+1.0%13.7%
Chisago City5,955+2.5%10.1%
Lindstrom5,039+2.8%8.5%
Stacy4,367−0.8%7.4%
Rush City3,300+2.0%5.6%
Shafer1,212+4.4%2.0%
Harris1,139+2.4%1.9%
Taylors Falls1,054+0.5%1.8%
Center City634+1.9%1.1%

10 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).

Chisago County, Homes

Homes in Chisago County

Chisago County is a place of houses on their own lots: 81% of its 22,711 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Minnesota. Much of Chisago County is recent building: 30% of its homes have gone up since 2000 and the middle year built is 1992, against 1978 for Minnesota. Owners live in 86% of the occupied homes (Minnesota: 72%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Chisago County, Minnesota, 2019 to 2023
HomesChisago CountyMinnesota
Housing units22,7112,519,538
Detached houses81%66%
In buildings of 5 or more7%19%
Mobile homes5%3%
Built before 196016%29%
Built since 200030%22%
Middle year built19921978
Owner-occupied86%72%

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