Short-term kit
PicoCan short-term charcoal canister radon test
- Lab fee included
Method: Charcoal
In home: 48 to 96 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Vernon County, Missouri
EPA puts Vernon County in Zone 2, its middle radon zone, and only 4 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
8.8%
21.8 pts below MO
- Vernon
- 8.8%
- Missouri
- 30.6%
34 tests, 2008 to 2017
Median result
0.9pCi/L
Below action level
- Vernon
- 0.9 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2008 to 2017
Tests reported
34
68th of 72 by tests
- Vernon
- 34
- 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
72 of 72
Lowest quarter
- Vernon
- 8.8%
- Atchison
- 69.9%
By share, of 72 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Vernon County
Starts at Vernon County's median, 0.9 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 0.9 pCi/L
Below 2 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Vernon County's median reported result, 2008 to 2017.
The data
Vernon County, At a glance
Vernon County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 2: moderate predicted potential
Vernon 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 Vernon County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 66.7% |
| 2022 | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0% |
2023: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 66.7%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 4 tests were reported to CDC for Vernon 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).
Vernon County, Compared
Vernon County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Vernon County reports fewer high tests than Missouri overall. 8.8% of its 34 tests over the 2008 to 2017 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 21.8 points below the 30.6% pooled from 115 Missouri counties.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 4 tests (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 34-test figure.
Ordered from highest share down, it comes 72nd of 72 Missouri counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 35.7%; Vernon County sits 26.9 points below it.
The reported tests do not follow EPA's Zone 2 label for Vernon County (predicted average between 2 and 4 pCi/L): 8.8% of them reached 4 pCi/L, fewer than that label suggests.
Half the tests came in under 0.9 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 7.5 pCi/L. The rest split 70.6% under 2 pCi/L and 20.6% from 2 to 4 (Missouri: 41.2% and 28.1%).
The busiest year on file was 2023, with 4 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 2.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Vernon County, Geology
The ground under Vernon County
PredictedUSGS's geologic map puts all of Vernon County's mapped land in one class: moderate radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Osage Plains, to which USGS gives 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osage Plains | Ordovician dolomite, sandstone, limestone, and shale. | Moderate | 11 | 99.9% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Vernon County beside the ground around it
Across Missouri 8.2% of the land is rated high; none of Vernon County's is. Of the 7 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Bates County the most at 0.3%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Vernon County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Vernon 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
Vernon County, Questions
Questions about radon in Vernon County
Are radon levels high in Vernon County?
In 2023, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Vernon County, Missouri were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 2.5 pCi/L. Of 72 Missouri counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 71 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 30.6%.
Which counties border Vernon County?
Vernon County borders 7 counties: Barton County, MO, Bourbon County, KS, Cedar County, MO, St. Clair County, MO, Bates County, MO, Crawford County, KS and Linn County, KS.
Products
Vernon County, Products
Testing a home in Vernon County
In Vernon County, 8.8% of 34 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 Vernon County; a long-term test tells the year-round average.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
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
Monitor
RM-65 rechargeable radon detector with a color screen and alarm
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
First reading: Within 6 hours
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Vernon County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Vernon County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Bates County, MOEPA zone 2
26.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.5 pCi/L · 23 tests · 17.3 points above Vernon County
- Radon levels in Barton County, MOEPA zone 2
16.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.4 pCi/L · 24 tests · 7.9 points above Vernon County
- Radon levels in St. Clair County, MOEPA zone 2
7.7%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.5 pCi/L · 13 tests · 1.1 points below Vernon County
- Radon levels in Cedar County, MOEPA zone 2
5.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.3 pCi/L · 20 tests · 3.8 points below Vernon County
- Radon levels in Bourbon County, KSEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2008 to 2017; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Crawford County, KSEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2008 to 2017; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Linn County, KSEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2008 to 2017; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Vernon County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Vernon County
The Census Bureau estimates 19,946 residents in Vernon County for July 1, 2025, 287 more than in 2020 (+1.5%). That works out to 24 people per square mile of land. Its largest town, Nevada, has 8,404 residents, 42.1% of the total. Together its 12 incorporated places hold 48.7% of those residents; the other 51.3% live outside any of them. Reported testing is thin here: 34 tests over 2008 to 2017, or 1.7 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), where Missouri as a whole comes to 9.3.
From Nevada to Stotesbury, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Vernon County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 8,404 | +2.6% | 42.1% |
| Sheldon | 438 | +0.5% | 2.2% |
| Schell City | 230 | +0.9% | 1.2% |
| Walker | 199 | +2.1% | 1.0% |
| Bronaugh | 164 | Level | 0.8% |
| Moundville | 77 | Level | 0.4% |
| Milo | 62 | Level | 0.3% |
| Richards | 45 | +4.7% | 0.2% |
| Deerfield | 41 | Level | 0.2% |
| Harwood | 30 | Level | 0.2% |
| Metz | 17 | Level | Under 0.1% |
| Stotesbury | 11 | Level | Under 0.1% |
12 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).
Vernon County, Homes
Homes in Vernon County
Vernon County is a place of houses on their own lots: 79% of its 8,949 homes are detached single-family houses, against 70% across Missouri. Half of its homes were built before 1975, close to Missouri's 1978: 34% date from before 1960 and 17% from 2000 or later. 73% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Missouri: 68%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Vernon County | Missouri |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 8,949 | 2,809,501 |
| Detached houses | 79% | 70% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 2% | 13% |
| Mobile homes | 10% | 5% |
| Built before 1960 | 34% | 28% |
| Built since 2000 | 17% | 21% |
| Middle year built | 1975 | 1978 |
| Owner-occupied | 73% | 68% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.