Short-term kit
RA100 short-term liquid scintillation radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Liquid scintillation
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Howard County, Missouri
EPA puts Howard County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 2 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
43.5%
12.9 pts above MO
- Howard
- 43.5%
- Missouri
- 30.6%
62 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
3.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Howard
- 3.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
62
50th of 72 by tests
- Howard
- 62
- St. Louis
- 17,747
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2008 to 2017
EPA radon zone
Zone 2
Moderate potential
- 1
- Zone 2
- 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts 2 to 4 pCi/L indoors
Rank in Missouri
8 of 72
Top quarter
- Howard
- 43.5%
- Atchison
- 69.9%
By share, of 72 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Howard County
Starts at Howard County's median, 3.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 3.5 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. Howard County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Howard County, At a glance
Howard County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Howard County is a
USGS geologic potential: Moderate across 100% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Howard County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 40.0% |
| 2017 | 100.0% |
| 2020 | 100.0% |
| 2021 | 66.7% |
| 2022 | 40.0% |
| 2023 | 50.0% |
2023: 50.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 100.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 2 tests were reported to CDC for Howard 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).
Howard County, Compared
Howard County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411In Howard County, about 4 in 10 reported tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals (27 of 62) were at or above EPA's action level. Against the national pool of 35.7%, the gap is 7.8 points higher. Across 115 Missouri counties pooled together, 30.6% of tests reached that level, so Howard County runs 12.9 points above its state.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 2 tests (50.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 62-test figure.
Of 4 neighbours with a figure, 1 reported a larger share at or above 4 pCi/L and 3 a smaller one; the spread is 17.2% (Randolph County) to 49.1% (Saline County). By share, Howard County is 8th of 72 Missouri counties with 30 or more tests for the same period.
Half the tests came in under 3.5 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 24.0 pCi/L. Below the action level, 16 tests (25.8%) came in under 2 pCi/L, against 41.2% statewide, and 19 tests (30.6%) fell between 2 and 4, against 28.1% statewide.
Zone 2 on EPA's map (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L) and a 43.5% share point the same way here. USGS geology rates 100% of the county's land moderate radon potential.
The busiest year on file was 2016, with 5 tests reported; the quietest, 2020, had 1.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Howard County, Geology
The ground under Howard County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Howard County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. The map puts 82.5% of Howard County in the area it calls Dissected Till Plains and 16.1% in Salem Plateau, with one smaller area beside them. USGS gives both a radon index of 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dissected Till Plains | Till-covered Pennsylvanian sandstone, shale, and limestone. | Moderate | 11 | 82.5% |
| Salem Plateau | Ordovician dolomite, sandstone, limestone, and shale. | Moderate | 11 | 16.1% |
| Osage Plains | Ordovician dolomite, sandstone, limestone, and shale. | Moderate | 11 | 1.4% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Howard County beside the ground around it
Across Missouri 8.2% of the land is rated high; none of Howard County's is. Of the 5 counties that border it, none has as large a share of moderate-potential ground; Chariton County comes nearest at 100%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Howard County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Howard County
- Missouri Radon ProgramMissouri Radon Program, run by Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Missouri.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Free radon test kits are available for Missouri residents (limit one per household).
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Missouri27 professionals are listed in Missouri.
What Missouri's program says
- Phone
- 573-751-6102
- radon@health.mo.gov
What it means
Howard County, Questions
Questions about radon in Howard County
Are radon levels high in Howard County?
In 2023, 50.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Howard County, Missouri were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 5.5 pCi/L. Of 72 Missouri counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 7 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.6%.
Which counties border Howard County?
Howard County borders 5 counties: Boone County, Randolph County, Chariton County, Cooper County and Saline County.
Products
Howard County, Products
Testing a home in Howard County
In Howard County, 43.5% of 62 tests reported to CDC over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 30.6% pooled across Missouri. In Zone 2 a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Howard County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
MonitorAEGTEST
HOUND-3699 radon monitor with a 2.1-inch touchscreen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 1 hour
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Howard County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Howard County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Saline CountyEPA zone 2
49.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.7 pCi/L · 55 tests · 5.6 points above Howard County
- Radon levels in Cooper CountyEPA zone 2
41.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 2.6 pCi/L · 90 tests · 2.4 points below Howard County
- Radon levels in Boone CountyEPA zone 2
21.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.9 pCi/L · 4,767 tests · 21.8 points below Howard County
- Radon levels in Randolph CountyEPA zone 2
17.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.8 pCi/L · 58 tests · 26.3 points below Howard County
- Radon levels in Chariton CountyEPA zone 2
13.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.7 pCi/L · 15 tests · 30.2 points below Howard County
Howard County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Howard County
Howard County's population has barely moved since 2020: 10,180 residents on July 1, 2025 against 10,154 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 22 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Fayette, has 2,848 residents, 28.0% of the total. Reported testing is thin here: 62 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 6.1 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Missouri as a whole comes to 9.3.
From Fayette to Franklin, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Howard County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette | 2,848 | +1.9% | 28.0% |
| Glasgowextends beyond Howard County | 1,080 | −0.7% | Counted whole |
| New Franklin | 1,026 | Level | 10.1% |
| Armstrong | 241 | −0.4% | 2.4% |
| Franklin | 67 | Level | 0.7% |
5 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). A place that extends beyond Howard County is counted whole, so it has no share.
Howard County, Homes
Homes in Howard County
Howard County is a place of houses on their own lots: 77% of its 4,381 homes are detached single-family houses, against 70% across Missouri. Half of its homes were built before 1972, close to Missouri's 1978: 36% date from before 1960 and 19% from 2000 or later. Owners live in 80% of the occupied homes (Missouri: 68%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Howard County | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 4,381 | 2,809,501 |
| Detached houses | 77% | 70% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 1% | 13% |
| Mobile homes | 14% | 5% |
| Built before 1960 | 36% | 28% |
| Built since 2000 | 19% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1972 | 1978 |
| Owner-occupied | 80% | 68% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.