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 Mower County, Minnesota
EPA puts Mower County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 45.1% of the 91 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
45.1%
10.5 pts above MN
- Mower
- 45.1%
- Minnesota
- 34.6%
91 tests, 2023
Median result
3.7pCi/L
Below action level
- Mower
- 3.7 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2023
Tests reported
91
35th of 62 by tests
- Mower
- 91
- 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
31 of 62
Middle half
- Mower
- 45.1%
- Renville
- 75.7%
By share, of 62 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Mower County
Starts at Mower County's median, 3.7 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.7 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. Mower County's median reported result, 2023.
The data
Mower County, At a glance
Mower County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Mower 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 Mower County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 52.7% |
| 2015 | 56.4% |
| 2016 | 49.5% |
| 2017 | 45.9% |
| 2018 | 37.4% |
| 2019 | 47.2% |
| 2020 | 34.8% |
| 2021 | 49.4% |
| 2022 | 52.4% |
| 2023 | 45.1% |
2023: 45.1%. Across these years the share ran from 34.8% to 56.4%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
These are the 91 tests reported to CDC for Mower 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).
Mower County, Compared
Mower County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Mower County, about 5 in 10 reported tests in 2023 (41 of 91) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 33.4%, the gap is 11.7 points higher. Across 86 Minnesota counties pooled together, 34.6% of tests reached that level, so Mower County runs 10.5 points above its state.
Of 5 neighbours with a figure, all 5 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 46.1% (Olmsted County) to 67.6% (Freeborn County). By share, Mower County is 31st of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 52.7% and 2023 closed at 45.1% (down 7.6 points), with 2015 the high at 56.4%. Half the tests came in under 3.7 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 51.5 pCi/L. Below the action level, 21 tests (23.1%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 36.6% statewide, and 29 tests (31.9%) fell between 2 and 4, against 28.9% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 45.1% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land high radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 205 tests reported; the quietest, 2020, had 46.
Mower CountyMinnesota, pooled
45.1% % of tests34.6% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Mower County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Minnesota, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 205 | 52.7% | 42.9% |
| 2015 | 179 | 56.4% | 43.6% |
| 2016 | 204 | 49.5% | 37.0% |
| 2017 | 157 | 45.9% | 38.2% |
| 2018 | 163 | 37.4% | 38.3% |
| 2019 | 72 | 47.2% | 36.1% |
| 2020 | 46 | 34.8% | 31.8% |
| 2021 | 87 | 49.4% | 33.1% |
| 2022 | 63 | 52.4% | 31.6% |
| 2023 | 91 | 45.1% | 34.6% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Mower County, State data
Minnesota's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Minnesota's own agencies publish about radon tests in Mower 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 Mower 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
42.8%
485 properties tested with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L
Median result
3.3 pCi/L
Average result
4.9 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
113 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.
Mower County, Geology
The ground under Mower County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Mower County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 85.9% of Mower County in the area it calls Dissected Till Plains and 13.2% in Central Lowland-Till Prairie, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives the first a radon index of 12 and the second 14, both in the high band (12 to 17).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dissected Till Plains | Pre-Wisconsinan glacial deposits derived from limestone, dolomite, sandstone, shale, locally covered by Wisconsinan loess. | High | 12 | 85.9% |
| Central Lowland-Till Prairie | Silty and clayey till derived from shale and sandstone. | High | 14 | 13.2% |
| Iowan Surface | Pre-Illinoian glaical deposits and loess. | 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.
Mower County beside the ground around it
Mower County has more high-potential ground than Minnesota as a whole: 100% of its land against 61.1%. Of the 8 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Dodge County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Mower County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Mower County
Listed radon businesses with an address in Mower 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.
Listed radon professionals by town: Elkton
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
Mower County, Questions
Questions about radon in Mower County
Are radon levels high in Mower County?
In 2023, 45.1% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Mower County, Minnesota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.7 pCi/L. Of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 30 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 34.6%.
Which counties border Mower County?
Mower County borders 8 counties: Mitchell County, IA, Dodge County, MN, Olmsted County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Howard County, IA, Worth County, IA, Fillmore County, MN and Steele County, MN.
Products
Mower County, Products
Testing a home in Mower County
In Mower County, 45.1% of 91 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 34.6% pooled across Minnesota. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Mower 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
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-1085 palm-sized rechargeable radon detector
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
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
Mower County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Mower County
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Mower County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Mower County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Freeborn County, MNEPA zone 1
67.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.1 pCi/L · 71 tests · 22.5 points above Mower County
- Radon levels in Dodge County, MNEPA zone 1
63.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.7 pCi/L · 155 tests · 18.1 points above Mower County
- Radon levels in Fillmore County, MNEPA zone 1
53.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.2 pCi/L · 118 tests · 8.3 points above Mower County
- Radon levels in Steele County, MNEPA zone 1
51.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 140 tests · 6.3 points above Mower County
- Radon levels in Olmsted County, MNEPA zone 1
46.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.7 pCi/L · 854 tests · 1.0 points above Mower County
- Radon levels in Mitchell County, IAEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Howard County, IAEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Worth County, IAEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2023; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Mower County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Mower County
The Census Bureau estimates 40,971 residents in Mower County for July 1, 2025, 903 more than in 2020 (+2.3%). That works out to 58 people per square mile of land. Austin alone is home to 26,689 of them, 65.1% of the total. Together its 14 incorporated places hold 79.6% of those residents; the other 20.4% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 91 tests over 2023, or 2.2 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Minnesota as a whole comes to 3.9.
From Austin to Sargeant, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Mower County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | 26,689 | +1.8% | 65.1% |
| Grand Meadow | 1,159 | +2.8% | 2.8% |
| Le Roy | 969 | +1.5% | 2.4% |
| Adams | 705 | +3.2% | 1.7% |
| Brownsdale | 644 | +1.3% | 1.6% |
| Racine | 588 | +27.5% | 1.4% |
| Lyle | 526 | +0.6% | 1.3% |
| Rose Creek | 403 | +1.3% | 1.0% |
| Dexter | 329 | +1.9% | 0.8% |
| Waltham | 168 | +1.2% | 0.4% |
| Mapleview | 148 | +1.4% | 0.4% |
| Elkton | 134 | +1.5% | 0.3% |
- Taopi
- Sargeant
14 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).
Mower County, Homes
Homes in Mower County
Mower County is a place of houses on their own lots: 77% of its 16,963 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Minnesota. The homes are older than Minnesota's as a whole: half were built before 1957 (1978 for Minnesota), and 56% date from before 1960. Owners live in 76% of the occupied homes (Minnesota: 72%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Mower County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 16,963 | 2,519,538 |
| Detached houses | 77% | 66% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 12% | 19% |
| Mobile homes | 2% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 56% | 29% |
| Built since 2000 | 12% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1957 | 1978 |
| Owner-occupied | 76% | 72% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.