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 Houston County, Minnesota
EPA puts Houston County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 47.8% of the 113 radon tests reported to CDC (2023) 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
47.8%
13.2 pts above MN
- Houston
- 47.8%
- Minnesota
- 34.6%
113 tests, 2023
Median result
3.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Houston
- 3.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2023
Tests reported
113
29th of 62 by tests
- Houston
- 113
- Hennepin
- 6,545
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023
EPA radon zone
Zone 1
Highest potential
- Zone 1
- 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Minnesota
26 of 62
Middle half
- Houston
- 47.8%
- Renville
- 75.7%
By share, of 62 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Houston County
Starts at Houston County's median, 3.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.5 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. Houston County's median reported result, 2023.
The data
Houston County, At a glance
Houston County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Houston 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 Houston County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 46.9% |
| 2015 | 53.6% |
| 2016 | 53.0% |
| 2017 | 47.3% |
| 2018 | 50.0% |
| 2019 | 53.2% |
| 2020 | 49.5% |
| 2021 | 56.2% |
| 2022 | 44.4% |
| 2023 | 47.8% |
2023: 47.8%. Across these years the share ran from 44.4% to 56.2%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
These are the 113 tests reported to CDC for Houston 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).
Houston County, Compared
Houston County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Houston County, about 5 in 10 reported tests in 2023 (54 of 113) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 33.4%, the gap is 14.4 points higher. Across 86 Minnesota counties pooled together, 34.6% of tests reached that level, so Houston County runs 13.2 points above its state.
Of 4 neighbours with a figure, 1 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 3 a smaller one; the spread is 31.4% (La Crosse County, WI) to 53.4% (Fillmore County). By share, Houston County is 26th of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 46.9% and 2023 closed at 47.8% (about level), with 2021 the high at 56.2%. Half the tests came in under 3.5 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 21.5 pCi/L. Below the action level, 28 tests (24.8%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 36.6% statewide, and 31 tests (27.4%) fell between 2 and 4, against 28.9% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 47.8% 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 151 tests reported; the quietest, 2017, had 74.
Houston CountyMinnesota, pooled
47.8% % of tests34.6% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Houston County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Minnesota, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 130 | 46.9% | 42.9% |
| 2015 | 151 | 53.6% | 43.6% |
| 2016 | 151 | 53.0% | 37.0% |
| 2017 | 74 | 47.3% | 38.2% |
| 2018 | 80 | 50.0% | 38.3% |
| 2019 | 139 | 53.2% | 36.1% |
| 2020 | 99 | 49.5% | 31.8% |
| 2021 | 130 | 56.2% | 33.1% |
| 2022 | 99 | 44.4% | 31.6% |
| 2023 | 113 | 47.8% | 34.6% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Houston County, State data
Minnesota's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Minnesota's own agencies publish about radon tests in Houston 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 Houston 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
52%
387 properties tested with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L
Median result
3.7 pCi/L
Average result
4.9 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
74 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.
Houston County, Geology
The ground under Houston County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Houston County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. 99.3% of it lies in the area the map calls Driftless Section, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driftless Section | Ordivician carbonates and sandstones. | High | 12 | 99.3% |
| Paleozoic Plateau | Ordovician carbonate and Cambrian sandstone bedrock covered by varying amounts of Quaternary glacial deposits and loess. | High | 13 | 0.6% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Houston County beside the ground around it
Houston County has more high-potential ground than Minnesota as a whole: 100% of its land against 61.1%. Of the 6 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Winneshiek County, IA comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Houston County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Houston County
- MDH Indoor Air UnitMDH Indoor Air Unit, run by MN Dept. of Health, licenses or certifies radon professionals and states the rule for disclosing radon when a home is sold, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Minnesota.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 Minnesota255 professionals are listed in Minnesota.
What Minnesota's program says
- Phone
- 651-201-4601
- 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
Houston County, Questions
Questions about radon in Houston County
Are radon levels high in Houston County?
In 2023, 47.8% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Houston County, Minnesota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.5 pCi/L. Of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 25 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 34.6%.
Which counties border Houston County?
Houston County borders 6 counties: La Crosse County, WI, Allamakee County, IA, Winona County, MN, Fillmore County, MN, Winneshiek County, IA and Vernon County, WI.
Products
Houston County, Products
Testing a home in Houston County
In Houston County, 47.8% of 113 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 34.6% pooled across Minnesota. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Houston 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
RadonEye RD200 plug-in continuous radon monitor
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Approved
- Plug-in
- Bluetooth
- Alarm
- Screen, app
Method: Ion chamber
First reading: Within 10 minutes
Short-term kit
Radon Short Term Test Kit short-term charcoal radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 2 to 7 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Houston County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Houston County
Explore
Houston County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Houston County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Fillmore County, MNEPA zone 1
53.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.2 pCi/L · 118 tests · 5.6 points above Houston County
- Radon levels in Vernon County, WIEPA zone 1
47.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.8 pCi/L · 162 tests · 0.3 points below Houston County
- Radon levels in Winona County, MNEPA zone 1
38.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 139 tests · 9.0 points below Houston County
- Radon levels in La Crosse County, WIEPA zone 2
31.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.7 pCi/L · 771 tests · 16.4 points below Houston County
- Radon levels in Allamakee County, IAEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Winneshiek County, IAEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Houston County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Houston County
About 18,400 people live in Houston County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 443 fewer than in 2020 (−2.4%). That works out to 33 people per square mile of land. La Crescent, the largest place on its list (5,261 residents in all), extends beyond Houston County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 113 reported tests for 2023 come to 6.1 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 3.9 for Minnesota.
From La Crescent to Eitzen, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Houston County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Crescentextends beyond Houston County | 5,261 | −1.5% | Counted whole |
| Caledonia | 2,768 | −3.5% | 15.0% |
| Spring Grove | 1,206 | −4.3% | 6.6% |
| Houston | 970 | −3.0% | 5.3% |
| Brownsville | 545 | −3.9% | 3.0% |
| Hokah | 536 | −3.8% | 2.9% |
| Eitzen | 264 | −2.6% | 1.4% |
7 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 Houston County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Houston County, Homes
Homes in Houston County
Houston County is a place of houses on their own lots: 86% of its 8,755 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Minnesota. The homes are older than Minnesota's as a whole: half were built before 1970 (1978 for Minnesota), and 41% date from before 1960. Owners live in 84% of the occupied homes (Minnesota: 72%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Houston County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 8,755 | 2,519,538 |
| Detached houses | 86% | 66% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 6% | 19% |
| Mobile homes | 3% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 41% | 29% |
| Built since 2000 | 15% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1970 | 1978 |
| Owner-occupied | 84% | 72% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.