Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Jackson County, Minnesota
EPA puts Jackson County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 52.3% of the 44 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
52.3%
17.7 pts above MN
- Jackson
- 52.3%
- Minnesota
- 34.6%
44 tests, 2023
Median result
4.1pCi/L
Action level reached
- Jackson
- 4.1 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2023
Tests reported
44
53rd of 62 by tests
- Jackson
- 44
- 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
19 of 62
Middle half
- Jackson
- 52.3%
- Renville
- 75.7%
By share, of 62 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Jackson County
Starts at Jackson County's median, 4.1 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 4.1 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. Jackson County's median reported result, 2023.
The data
Jackson County, At a glance
Jackson County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Jackson 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 Jackson County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 65.8% |
| 2015 | 66.7% |
| 2016 | 61.1% |
| 2017 | 87.5% |
| 2018 | 61.9% |
| 2019 | 66.7% |
| 2020 | 64.4% |
| 2021 | 53.3% |
| 2022 | 71.7% |
| 2023 | 52.3% |
2023: 52.3%. Across these years the share ran from 52.3% to 87.5%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
These are the 44 tests reported to CDC for Jackson 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).
Jackson County, Compared
Jackson County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 52.3% of the 44 radon tests reported to CDC for Jackson County in 2023 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 19th of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 17.7 points above the 34.6% pooled from 86 Minnesota counties.
The median result, 4.1 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 16.2 pCi/L. The rest split 25.0% under 2 pCi/L and 22.7% from 2 to 4 (Minnesota: 36.6% and 28.9%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 52.3% share point the same way here.
1 of its 2 bordering counties with figures ran higher, led by Nobles County at 58.5%; Martin County reported 43.2%. Statewide for the same period, Renville County reported the highest share (75.7%) and Lake County the lowest (3.8%).
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 117 tests reported; the quietest, 2019, had 21.
Over 9 years of annual figures the share fell 13.5 points, from 65.8% in 2014 to 52.3% in 2023; its peak was 87.5% in 2017. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 33.4%; Jackson County sits 18.9 points above it.
Jackson CountyMinnesota, pooled
52.3% % of tests34.6% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Jackson County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Minnesota, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 117 | 65.8% | 42.9% |
| 2015 | 48 | 66.7% | 43.6% |
| 2016 | 54 | 61.1% | 37.0% |
| 2017 | 64 | 87.5% | 38.2% |
| 2018 | 63 | 61.9% | 38.3% |
| 2020 | 45 | 64.4% | 31.8% |
| 2021 | 45 | 53.3% | 33.1% |
| 2022 | 46 | 71.7% | 31.6% |
| 2023 | 44 | 52.3% | 34.6% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Jackson County, State data
Minnesota's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Minnesota's own agencies publish about radon tests in Jackson 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 Jackson 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
71.7%
213 properties tested with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L
Median result
6.1 pCi/L
Average result
7.0 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
30 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.
Jackson County, Geology
The ground under Jackson County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Jackson County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. 99.1% 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).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Lowland-Till Prairie | Silty and clayey till derived from shale and sandstone. | High | 14 | 99.1% |
| Des Moines Lobe | Calcareous loamy till derived from shale, limestone, dolomite, sandstone. | High | 12 | 0.9% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Jackson County beside the ground around it
Jackson 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; Cottonwood County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Jackson County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Jackson 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
Jackson County, Questions
Questions about radon in Jackson County
Are radon levels high in Jackson County?
In 2023, 52.3% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Jackson County, Minnesota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.1 pCi/L. Of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 18 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 34.6%.
Which counties border Jackson County?
Jackson County borders 7 counties: Dickinson County, IA, Cottonwood County, MN, Nobles County, MN, Martin County, MN, Osceola County, IA, Emmet County, IA and Watonwan County, MN.
Products
Jackson County, Products
Testing a home in Jackson County
In Jackson County, 52.3% of 44 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 34.6% pooled across Minnesota. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Jackson 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
MonitorINKBIRD
INK-RD3 battery radon monitor with an e-ink screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Screen
First reading: Within 24 hours
Short-term kit
RA400 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Jackson County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Jackson County
Explore
Jackson County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Jackson County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Watonwan County, MNEPA zone 1
66.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.2 pCi/L · 24 tests · 14.4 points above Jackson County
- Radon levels in Nobles County, MNEPA zone 1
58.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.7 pCi/L · 41 tests · 6.2 points above Jackson County
- Radon levels in Cottonwood County, MNEPA zone 1
50.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 12 tests · 2.3 points below Jackson County
- Radon levels in Martin County, MNEPA zone 1
43.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 81 tests · 9.1 points below Jackson County
- Radon levels in Dickinson County, IAEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Osceola County, IAEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Emmet County, IAEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Jackson County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Jackson County
About 9,857 people live in Jackson County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 133 fewer than in 2020 (−1.3%). That works out to 14 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Jackson, has 3,305 residents, 33.5% of the total. Together its 6 incorporated places hold 60.3% of those residents; the other 39.7% live outside any of them. CDC's 44 reported tests for 2023 work out to 4.5 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Minnesota's 3.9.
From Jackson to Wilder, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Jackson County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 3,305 | −0.5% | 33.5% |
| Lakefield | 1,697 | −1.9% | 17.2% |
| Heron Lake | 586 | −2.8% | 5.9% |
| Okabena | 199 | −3.4% | 2.0% |
| Alpha | 96 | −2.0% | 1.0% |
| Wilder | 57 | −1.7% | 0.6% |
6 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).
Jackson County, Homes
Homes in Jackson County
Jackson County is a place of houses on their own lots: 87% of its 4,914 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Minnesota. The homes are older than Minnesota's as a whole: half were built before 1956 (1978 for Minnesota), and 55% date from before 1960. Owners live in 81% of the occupied homes (Minnesota: 72%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Jackson County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 4,914 | 2,519,538 |
| Detached houses | 87% | 66% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 7% | 19% |
| Mobile homes | 2% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 55% | 29% |
| Built since 2000 | 9% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1956 | 1978 |
| Owner-occupied | 81% | 72% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.