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 Traverse County, Minnesota
EPA puts Traverse County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 7 radon tests from it are on file with CDC (2023). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
69.4%
25.2 pts above MN
- Traverse
- 69.4%
- Minnesota
- 44.2%
85 tests, 2005 to 2014
Median result
5.4pCi/L
Action level reached
- Traverse
- 5.4 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2005 to 2014
Tests reported
85
79th of 87 by tests
- Traverse
- 85
- Hennepin
- 32,450
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2005 to 2014
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
11 of 87
Top quarter
- Traverse
- 69.4%
- Rock
- 85.0%
By share, of 87 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Traverse County
Starts at Traverse County's median, 5.4 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 5.4 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. Traverse County's median reported result, 2005 to 2014.
The data
Traverse County, At a glance
Traverse County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Traverse 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 Traverse County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 70.0% |
| 2015 | 54.5% |
| 2016 | 53.6% |
| 2017 | 83.3% |
| 2018 | 42.9% |
| 2019 | 60.0% |
| 2020 | 57.1% |
| 2021 | 53.8% |
| 2022 | 30.8% |
| 2023 | 85.7% |
2023: 85.7%. Across these years the share ran from 30.8% to 85.7%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 7 tests were reported to CDC for Traverse County over 2023, and tests are often run on homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: so few describe neither the county nor this house.
Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).
Traverse County, Compared
Traverse County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 69.4% of the 85 radon tests reported to CDC for Traverse County over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 11th of 87 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 25.2 points above the 44.2% pooled from 87 Minnesota counties.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 7 tests (85.7% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 85-test figure.
The median result, 5.4 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 32.7 pCi/L. The rest split 11.8% under 2 pCi/L and 18.8% from 2 to 4 (Minnesota: 26.4% and 29.3%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 69.4% share point the same way here.
No bordering county with a figure for the same period reported a higher share; the closest is Stevens County at 63.5%, the lowest Wilkin County at 37.2%. Statewide for the same period, Rock County reported the highest share (85.0%) and Anoka County the lowest (16.4%).
The busiest year on file was 2016, with 28 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 7.
Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 36.0%; Traverse County sits 33.4 points above it.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Traverse County, State data
Minnesota's own radon test data
MeasuredWhat Minnesota's own agencies publish about radon tests in Traverse 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 Traverse 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
59.6%
65 properties tested with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L
Median result
4.8 pCi/L
Average result
12.8 pCi/L
Tests behind these figures
11 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.
Traverse County, Geology
The ground under Traverse County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Traverse County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All 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 | 99.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Traverse County beside the ground around it
Traverse 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
Traverse County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Traverse 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
Traverse County, Questions
Questions about radon in Traverse County
Are radon levels high in Traverse County?
In 2023, 85.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Traverse County, Minnesota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 13.9 pCi/L. Of 87 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 10 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 44.2%.
Which counties border Traverse County?
Traverse County borders 6 counties: Grant County, MN, Stevens County, MN, Big Stone County, MN, Roberts County, SD, Wilkin County, MN and Richland County, ND.
Products
Traverse County, Products
Testing a home in Traverse County
In Traverse County, 69.4% of 85 tests reported to CDC over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 44.2% pooled across Minnesota. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Traverse 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
MonitorKidde
Radon Detector (RAB) battery digital radon detector with an alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 12 hours
Short-term kit
Air Chek Short-Term radon test kit you hang, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
In home: 72 to 168 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Traverse County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Traverse County
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Traverse County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Traverse County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Stevens County, MNEPA zone 1
63.5%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.3 pCi/L · 252 tests · 5.9 points below Traverse County
- Radon levels in Grant County, MNEPA zone 1
63.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 5.2 pCi/L · 144 tests · 6.2 points below Traverse County
- Radon levels in Big Stone County, MNEPA zone 1
61.6%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.9 pCi/L · 219 tests · 7.8 points below Traverse County
- Radon levels in Roberts County, SDEPA zone 1
45.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.5 pCi/L · 20 tests · 24.4 points below Traverse County
- Radon levels in Wilkin County, MNEPA zone 1
37.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.1 pCi/L · 78 tests · 32.2 points below Traverse County
- Radon levels in Richland County, NDEPA zone 1
37.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.0 pCi/L · 137 tests · 32.2 points below Traverse County
Traverse County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Traverse County
Traverse County has been losing residents: from 3,359 in 2020 to 3,130 on July 1, 2025, a fall of 6.8% by the Census Bureau's estimates. Spread over its land, that is 5.5 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Wheaton, has 1,330 residents, 42.5% of the total. Together its 4 incorporated places hold 63.0% of those residents; the other 37.0% live outside any of them. CDC's 85 reported tests for 2005 to 2014 work out to 27.2 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Minnesota's 19.9.
From Wheaton to Tintah, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Traverse County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheaton | 1,330 | −8.7% | 42.5% |
| Browns Valley | 504 | −9.0% | 16.1% |
| Dumont | 71 | −9.0% | 2.3% |
| Tintah | 66 | −8.3% | 2.1% |
4 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).
Traverse County, Homes
Homes in Traverse County
Traverse County is a place of houses on their own lots: 85% of its 1,896 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Minnesota. The homes are older than Minnesota's as a whole: half were built before 1963 (1978 for Minnesota), and 48% date from before 1960. Owners live in 80% of the occupied homes (Minnesota: 72%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Traverse County | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 1,896 | 2,519,538 |
| Detached houses | 85% | 66% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 10% | 19% |
| Mobile homes | 4% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 48% | 29% |
| Built since 2000 | 10% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1963 | 1978 |
| Owner-occupied | 80% | 72% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.