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 Swift County, Minnesota
EPA puts Swift County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 41.7% of the 36 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
41.7%
7.1 pts above MN
- Swift
- 41.7%
- Minnesota
- 34.6%
36 tests, 2023
Median result
3.8pCi/L
Below action level
- Swift
- 3.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2023
Tests reported
36
57th of 62 by tests
- Swift
- 36
- 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
37 of 62
Middle half
- Swift
- 41.7%
- Renville
- 75.7%
By share, of 62 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Swift County
Starts at Swift County's median, 3.8 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.8 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. Swift County's median reported result, 2023.
The data
Swift County, At a glance
Swift County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Swift 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 Swift County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 45.1% |
| 2015 | 66.0% |
| 2016 | 48.1% |
| 2017 | 60.0% |
| 2018 | 23.1% |
| 2019 | 50.0% |
| 2020 | 27.3% |
| 2021 | 63.6% |
| 2022 | 14.5% |
| 2023 | 41.7% |
2023: 41.7%. Across these years the share ran from 14.5% to 66.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
These are the 36 tests reported to CDC for Swift 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).
Swift County, Compared
Swift County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Swift County, about 4 in 10 reported tests in 2023 (15 of 36) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 33.4%, the gap is 8.3 points higher. Across 86 Minnesota counties pooled together, 34.6% of tests reached that level, so Swift County runs 7.1 points above its state.
Of 3 neighbours with a figure, all 3 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L; the spread is 50.9% (Pope County) to 65.7% (Chippewa County). By share, Swift County is 37th of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Year by year, 2014 opened at 45.1% and 2023 closed at 41.7% (down 3.4 points), with 2015 the high at 66.0%. Half the tests came in under 3.8 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 10.5 pCi/L. Below the action level, 9 tests (25.0%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 36.6% statewide, and 12 tests (33.3%) fell between 2 and 4, against 28.9% statewide.
Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 41.7% 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 82 tests reported; the quietest, 2020, had 11.
Swift CountyMinnesota, pooled
| Year | Tests | Swift County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Minnesota, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 82 | 45.1% | 42.9% |
| 2015 | 50 | 66.0% | 43.6% |
| 2021 | 33 | 63.6% | 33.1% |
| 2022 | 62 | 14.5% | 31.6% |
| 2023 | 36 | 41.7% | 34.6% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Swift County, State data
Minnesota's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Minnesota's own agencies publish about radon tests in Swift 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 Swift 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
52.9%
101 properties tested with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L
Median result
3.9 pCi/L
Average result
4.6 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
19 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.
Swift County, Geology
The ground under Swift County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Swift County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. The map puts 49.4% of Swift County in the area it calls Glacial Lake Deposits and 40.2% in Central Lowland-Till Prairie, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives both 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glacial Lake Deposits | Silt and clay glacial lake deposits. | High | 14 | 49.4% |
| Central Lowland-Till Prairie | Silty and clayey till derived from shale and sandstone. | High | 14 | 40.2% |
| Central Lowland-Western Lake Section | Sandy calcareous till derived from carbonate rocks. | High | 14 | 10.5% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Swift County beside the ground around it
Swift 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; Big Stone County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Swift County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Swift 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
Swift County, Questions
Questions about radon in Swift County
Are radon levels high in Swift County?
In 2023, 41.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Swift County, Minnesota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 3.8 pCi/L. Of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 36 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 34.6%.
Which counties border Swift County?
Swift County borders 6 counties: Chippewa County, Pope County, Stevens County, Lac qui Parle County, Big Stone County and Kandiyohi County.
Products
Swift County, Products
Testing a home in Swift County
In Swift County, 41.7% of 36 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 34.6% pooled across Minnesota. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Swift 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
RadonScan USB-powered radon monitor with a color screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 5 minutes
Short-term kitKidde
442020 short-term charcoal radon test kit
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 3 days
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Swift County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Swift County
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Swift County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Swift County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Lac qui Parle CountyEPA zone 1
73.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 6.2 pCi/L · 23 tests · 32.2 points above Swift County
- Radon levels in Chippewa CountyEPA zone 1
65.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.8 pCi/L · 35 tests · 24.0 points above Swift County
- Radon levels in Kandiyohi CountyEPA zone 1
65.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.3 pCi/L · 106 tests · 23.4 points above Swift County
- Radon levels in Big Stone CountyEPA zone 1
61.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.0 pCi/L · 18 tests · 19.4 points above Swift County
- Radon levels in Pope CountyEPA zone 1
50.9%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.2 pCi/L · 55 tests · 9.2 points above Swift County
- Radon levels in Stevens CountyEPA zone 1
34.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.2 pCi/L · 29 tests · 7.2 points below Swift County
Swift County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Swift County
Swift County's population has barely moved since 2020: 9,763 residents on July 1, 2025 against 9,801 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 13 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Benson, has 3,444 residents, 35.3% of the total. Together its 8 incorporated places hold 64.7% of those residents; the other 35.3% live outside any of them. CDC's 36 reported tests for 2023 work out to 3.7 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Minnesota's 3.9.
From Benson to Holloway, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Swift County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benson | 3,444 | −0.7% | 35.3% |
| Appleton | 1,361 | −1.9% | 13.9% |
| Kerkhoven | 790 | −0.9% | 8.1% |
| Murdock | 297 | −1.0% | 3.0% |
| Clontarf | 128 | Level | 1.3% |
| De Graff | 110 | −1.8% | 1.1% |
| Danvers | 101 | −1.0% | 1.0% |
| Holloway | 85 | −1.2% | 0.9% |
8 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).
Swift County, Homes
Homes in Swift County
Swift County is a place of houses on their own lots: 80% of its 4,697 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Minnesota. The homes are older than Minnesota's as a whole: half were built before 1959 (1978 for Minnesota), and 51% date from before 1960. 74% 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 | Swift County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 4,697 | 2,519,538 |
| Detached houses | 80% | 66% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 11% | 19% |
| Mobile homes | 2% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 51% | 29% |
| Built since 2000 | 12% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1959 | 1978 |
| Owner-occupied | 74% | 72% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.