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Radon Levels in Stearns County, Minnesota

EPA puts Stearns County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 46.7% of the 366 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

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    46.7%

    12.1 pts above MN

    Stearns
    46.7%
    Minnesota
    34.6%

    366 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    3.7pCi/L

    Below action level

    Stearns
    3.7 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    366

    12th of 62 by tests

    Stearns
    366
    Hennepin
    6,545

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Minnesota

    27 of 62

    Middle half

    Stearns
    46.7%
    Renville
    75.7%

    By share, of 62 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Stearns County

Starts at Stearns County's median, 3.7 pCi/L

3.7pCi/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

  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. Stearns County's median reported result, 2023.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Stearns County, At a glance

Stearns County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Stearns County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: High across 78% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Stearns County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Stearns County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Stearns County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201450.6%
201548.2%
201647.4%
201748.5%
201847.5%
201949.5%
202045.2%
202129.3%
202236.5%
202346.7%

2023: 46.7%. Across these years the share ran from 29.3% to 50.6%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 366 tests reported to CDC for Stearns 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

Stearns County, Compared

Stearns County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

In Stearns County, about 5 in 10 reported tests in 2023 (171 of 366) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 33.4%, the gap is 13.3 points higher. Across 86 Minnesota counties pooled together, 34.6% of tests reached that level, so Stearns County runs 12.1 points above its state.

Of 9 neighbours with a figure, 4 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 5 a smaller one; the spread is 21.7% (Sherburne County) to 65.1% (Kandiyohi County). By share, Stearns County is 27th of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.

Year by year, 2014 opened at 50.6% and 2023 closed at 46.7% (down 3.9 points), with 2014 the high at 50.6%. Half the tests came in under 3.7 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 45.3 pCi/L. Below the action level, 94 tests (25.7%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 36.6% statewide, and 101 tests (27.6%) fell between 2 and 4, against 28.9% statewide.

Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 46.7% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 78% of the county's land high radon potential.

The busiest year on file was 2014, with 1,170 tests reported; the quietest, 2019, had 364.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Stearns County against Minnesota2014 to 2023, years with 30 or more tests: Stearns County 50.6% to 46.7%, the state's pooled share 34.6% in 2023.
Stearns CountyMinnesota, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Stearns County against Minnesota: data table
YearTestsStearns County, at or above 4 pCi/LMinnesota, pooled
20141,17050.6%42.9%
201571848.2%43.6%
201657847.4%37.0%
201764948.5%38.2%
201863147.5%38.3%
201936449.5%36.1%
202039845.2%31.8%
202176429.3%33.1%
202241136.5%31.6%
202336646.7%34.6%
Stearns County against Minnesota, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Stearns County
Stearns County36646.7%3.7 pCi/LThis county
Minnesota, pooled86 counties, pooled22,44934.6%Not pooled−12.1 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled−13.3 points
Renville Countyhighest in the state3775.7%6.3 pCi/L+29.0 points
Lake Countylowest in the state783.8%1.3 pCi/L−42.9 points
Kandiyohi County, MNborders it10665.1%5.3 pCi/L+18.4 points
Pope County, MNborders it5550.9%4.2 pCi/L+4.2 points
Meeker County, MNborders it5949.2%3.9 pCi/L+2.5 points
Douglas County, MNborders it14548.3%3.7 pCi/L+1.6 points
Wright County, MNborders it55242.4%3.4 pCi/L−4.3 points
Morrison County, MNborders it6235.5%3.0 pCi/L−11.2 points
Todd County, MNborders it6323.8%2.0 pCi/L−22.9 points
Benton County, MNborders it4323.3%2.2 pCi/L−23.4 points
Sherburne County, MNborders it35121.7%1.8 pCi/L−25.0 points
Where Stearns County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Minnesota and the United States
ResultStearns County testsStearns County shareMinnesota shareU.S. shareAgainst Minnesota
Under 2 pCi/L9425.7%36.6%41.4%−10.9 points
2 to 4 pCi/L10127.6%28.9%25.2%−1.3 points
4 pCi/L and above17146.7%34.6%33.4%+12.1 points
Stearns 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
Pope County22 of 625550.9%4.2 pCi/L
Goodhue County23 of 6221849.5%3.9 pCi/L
Meeker County24 of 625949.2%3.9 pCi/L
Douglas County25 of 6214548.3%3.7 pCi/L
Houston County26 of 6211347.8%3.5 pCi/L
Stearns County27 of 6236646.7%3.7 pCi/L
Olmsted County28 of 6285446.1%3.7 pCi/L
Hubbard County29 of 626346.0%3.8 pCi/L
Nicollet County30 of 6212945.7%3.7 pCi/L
Mower County31 of 629145.1%3.7 pCi/L
Martin County32 of 628143.2%3.5 pCi/L
Stearns County radon tests by year, against Minnesota's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestMinnesota, pooledChange from the row before
202336646.7%3.7 pCi/L45.3 pCi/L34.6%+10.2 points
202241136.5%2.9 pCi/L38.7 pCi/L31.6%+7.2 points
202176429.3%2.2 pCi/L41.8 pCi/L33.1%−15.9 points
202039845.2%3.7 pCi/L25.4 pCi/L31.8%−4.3 points
201936449.5%3.8 pCi/L33.5 pCi/L36.1%+2.0 points
201863147.5%3.7 pCi/L54.2 pCi/L38.3%−1.0 points
201764948.5%3.8 pCi/L21.9 pCi/L38.2%+1.1 points
201657847.4%3.8 pCi/L71.1 pCi/L37.0%−0.8 points
201571848.2%3.8 pCi/L61.9 pCi/L43.6%−2.4 points
20141,17050.6%4.0 pCi/L45.2 pCi/L42.9%First on file

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

Stearns County, State data

Minnesota's own radon test data

Measured

What Minnesota's own agencies publish about radon tests in Stearns 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 Stearns 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

45.3%

2,274 properties tested with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L

Median result

3.4 pCi/L

Average result

4.4 pCi/L

Tests behind these figures

502 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.

Stearns County, Geology

The ground under Stearns County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Stearns County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 78.5% of its land is high radon potential, with 21.5% moderate. The map puts 78.4% of Stearns County in the area it calls Central Lowland-Till Prairie and 21.5% in Superior Upland/Central Lowland-Western Lake Section. USGS gives the first a radon index of 14, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 10, in the moderate band (9 to 11).

USGS's geologic areas under Stearns County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Central Lowland-Till PrairieSilty and clayey till derived from shale and sandstone.High1478.4%
Superior Upland/Central Lowland-Western Lake SectionGlacial deposits derived primarily from volcanic rock.Moderate1021.5%

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

Stearns County beside the ground around it

Stearns County has more high-potential ground than Minnesota as a whole: 78.5% of its land against 61.1%. Of the 9 counties that border it, 6 have more high-potential ground, Douglas County the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Stearns County, the 9 counties bordering it and Minnesota
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Stearns CountyZone 1None21.5%78.5%
Meeker CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Kandiyohi CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Benton CountyZone 2None91.6%8.4%
Todd CountyZone 1None22.7%77.3%
Pope CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Wright CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Morrison CountyZone 2None97.7%2.3%
Sherburne CountyZone 1None1.5%98.5%
Douglas CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Minnesota87 counties, pooled by land areaVariesNone38.9%61.1%

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

Local help

Stearns County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Stearns County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Stearns County:

Listed radon professionals by town: Sartell, Cold Spring, Paynesville, Belgrade

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

Stearns County, Questions

Questions about radon in Stearns County

Are radon levels high in Stearns County?

In 2023, 46.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Stearns 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, 26 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 34.6%.

Which counties border Stearns County?

Stearns County borders 9 counties: Meeker County, Kandiyohi County, Benton County, Todd County, Pope County, Wright County, Morrison County, Sherburne County and Douglas County.

Products

Stearns County, Products

Testing a home in Stearns County

In Stearns County, 46.7% of 366 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 34.6% pooled across Minnesota. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Stearns 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

Stearns County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Stearns County

Explore

Stearns County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Stearns County

Calculated by Radon411

Stearns County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Stearns County

The Census Bureau estimates 164,110 residents in Stearns County for July 1, 2025, 5,654 more than in 2020 (+3.6%). That works out to 122 people per square mile of land. St. Cloud, the largest place on its list (72,647 residents in all), extends beyond Stearns County, so no share of the total is worked out for it. Reported testing is thin here: 366 tests over 2023, or 2.2 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Minnesota as a whole comes to 3.9.

From St. Cloud to St. Rosa, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Stearns County's.

The 12 largest cities and towns in Stearns County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
St. Cloudextends beyond Stearns County72,647+4.4%Counted whole
Sartellextends beyond Stearns County19,918+2.8%Counted whole
Waite Park8,450+1.3%5.1%
St. Joseph6,846−3.2%4.2%
Sauk Centre4,663+2.3%2.8%
Cold Spring4,329+3.7%2.6%
Melrose3,888+7.7%2.4%
St. Augusta3,799+8.3%2.3%
Albany2,873+3.2%1.8%
Paynesville2,591+8.2%1.6%
Rockville2,492+4.2%1.5%
Clearwaterextends beyond Stearns County2,225+15.5%Counted whole
  • Avon
  • Richmond
  • Eden Valley (part)
  • Kimball
  • St. Stephen
  • Holdingford
  • Belgrade
  • Freeport
  • Brooten (part)
  • New Munich
  • St. Martin
  • Elrosa
  • Greenwald
  • Meire Grove
  • Roscoe
  • St. Anthony
  • Lake Henry
  • Spring Hill
  • St. Rosa

31 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. “(part)” marks a place that extends into another county. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025). A place that extends beyond Stearns County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Stearns County, Homes

Homes in Stearns County

Of Stearns County's 66,211 homes, 69% are detached houses, against 66% across Minnesota; 22% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1984, close to Minnesota's 1978: 21% date from before 1960 and 27% from 2000 or later. 68% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Minnesota: 72%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Stearns County, Minnesota, 2019 to 2023
HomesStearns CountyMinnesota
Housing units66,2112,519,538
Detached houses69%66%
In buildings of 5 or more22%19%
Mobile homes2%3%
Built before 196021%29%
Built since 200027%22%
Middle year built19841978
Owner-occupied68%72%

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