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Radon Levels in Adams County, Nebraska

EPA puts Adams County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 66.5% of the 155 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

    66.5%

    28.3 pts above NE

    Adams
    66.5%
    Nebraska
    38.2%

    155 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    4.8pCi/L

    Action level reached

    Adams
    4.8 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    155

    10th of 33 by tests

    Adams
    155
    Lancaster
    4,058

    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 Nebraska

    11 of 33

    Middle half

    Adams
    66.5%
    Gage
    79.8%

    By share, of 33 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Adams County

Starts at Adams County's median, 4.8 pCi/L

4.8pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 4.8 pCi/L

At or above 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 at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. Adams County's median reported result, 2023.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Adams County, At a glance

Adams County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Adams 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 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Adams County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Adams County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Adams County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201451.1%
201555.3%
201654.3%
201756.9%
201848.5%
201954.5%
202040.1%
202142.6%
202239.7%
202366.5%

2023: 66.5%. Across these years the share ran from 39.7% to 66.5%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 155 tests reported to CDC for Adams 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

Adams County, Compared

Adams County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

More than half: 66.5% of the 155 radon tests reported to CDC for Adams County in 2023 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 11th of 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 28.3 points above the 38.2% pooled from 86 Nebraska counties.

The median result, 4.8 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 23.9 pCi/L. The rest split 7.1% under 2 pCi/L and 26.5% from 2 to 4 (Nebraska: 39.2% and 22.6%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 66.5% share point the same way here.

No bordering county with a figure for the same period reported a higher share; the closest is Hamilton County at 64.6%, the lowest Hall County at 17.8%. Statewide for the same period, Gage County reported the highest share (79.8%) and Dakota County the lowest (3.1%).

The busiest year on file was 2016, with 1,077 tests reported; the quietest, 2022, had 141.

Over 10 years of annual figures the share rose 15.4 points, from 51.1% in 2014 to 66.5% in 2023; its peak was 66.5% in 2023. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 33.4%; Adams County sits 33.1 points above it. CDC also counts 29 tests taken after mitigation in Adams County for the same period: tests in homes where a fix was already in.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Adams County against Nebraska2014 to 2023, years with 30 or more tests: Adams County 51.1% to 66.5%, the state's pooled share 38.2% in 2023.
Adams CountyNebraska, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Adams County against Nebraska: data table
YearTestsAdams County, at or above 4 pCi/LNebraska, pooled
201492751.1%50.5%
201584655.3%53.3%
20161,07754.3%47.4%
201791256.9%47.7%
201869948.5%44.5%
201960054.5%44.3%
202080740.1%42.2%
202140842.6%34.9%
202214139.7%34.0%
202315566.5%38.2%
Adams County against Nebraska, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Adams County
Adams County15566.5%4.8 pCi/LThis county
Nebraska, pooled86 counties, pooled11,16338.2%Not pooled−28.3 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled−33.1 points
Gage Countyhighest in the state8479.8%9.4 pCi/L+13.3 points
Dakota Countylowest in the state1303.1%0.4 pCi/L−63.4 points
Webster County, NEborders it1776.5%7.8 pCi/L+10.0 points
Clay County, NEborders it2766.7%5.7 pCi/L+0.2 points
Kearney County, NEborders it2466.7%5.4 pCi/L+0.2 points
Hamilton County, NEborders it4864.6%5.0 pCi/L−1.9 points
Buffalo County, NEborders it17355.5%4.2 pCi/L−11.0 points
Hall County, NEborders it25317.8%1.7 pCi/L−48.7 points
Franklin County, NEborders it10.0%3.3 pCi/L−66.5 points
Where Adams County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Nebraska and the United States
ResultAdams County testsAdams County shareNebraska shareU.S. shareAgainst Nebraska
Under 2 pCi/L117.1%39.2%41.4%−32.1 points
2 to 4 pCi/L4126.5%22.6%25.2%+3.9 points
4 pCi/L and above10366.5%38.2%33.4%+28.3 points
Adams County ranked among the 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2023
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Saunders County6 of 339773.2%6.2 pCi/L
Cuming County7 of 333770.3%6.8 pCi/L
Stanton County8 of 333268.8%7.8 pCi/L
Cass County9 of 3311168.5%5.5 pCi/L
Madison County10 of 3321366.7%5.8 pCi/L
Adams County11 of 3315566.5%4.8 pCi/L
Phelps County12 of 334365.1%4.9 pCi/L
Hamilton County13 of 334864.6%5.0 pCi/L
York County14 of 336264.5%5.7 pCi/L
Otoe County15 of 335964.4%5.7 pCi/L
Red Willow County16 of 335362.3%4.6 pCi/L
Adams County radon tests by year, against Nebraska's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestNebraska, pooledChange from the row before
202315566.5%4.8 pCi/L23.9 pCi/L38.2%+26.8 points
202214139.7%3.4 pCi/L20.7 pCi/L34.0%−2.9 points
202140842.6%3.4 pCi/L25.8 pCi/L34.9%+2.5 points
202080740.1%3.2 pCi/L20.8 pCi/L42.2%−14.4 points
201960054.5%4.2 pCi/L24.6 pCi/L44.3%+6.0 points
201869948.5%3.9 pCi/L21.9 pCi/L44.5%−8.4 points
201791256.9%4.2 pCi/L42.7 pCi/L47.7%+2.6 points
20161,07754.3%4.3 pCi/L24.0 pCi/L47.4%−1.0 points
201584655.3%4.5 pCi/L28.9 pCi/L53.3%+4.2 points
201492751.1%4.1 pCi/L51.9 pCi/L50.5%First on file

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

Adams County, Geology

The ground under Adams County

Predicted

Most of the ground under Adams County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 99.9% of its land is high radon potential, with 0.1% moderate. The map puts 75.7% of Adams County in the area it calls Pre-Wisconsin glacial deposits and 24.2% in Loess over K-T. USGS gives both a radon index of 13, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Adams County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Pre-Wisconsin glacial depositsLoess-mantled glacial drift.High1375.7%
Loess over K-TLoess-mantled Tertiary and Cretaceous bedrock.High1324.2%

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

Adams County beside the ground around it

Adams County has more high-potential ground than Nebraska as a whole: 99.9% of its land against 40.9%. Of the 7 counties that border it, 3 have more high-potential ground, Clay County the most at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Adams County, the 7 counties bordering it and Nebraska
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Adams CountyZone 1None0.1%99.9%
Clay CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Webster CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Kearney CountyZone 1None17.1%82.9%
Hall CountyZone 2None79.7%20.3%
Franklin CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Hamilton CountyZone 1None12.6%87.4%
Buffalo CountyZone 2None100%None
Nebraska93 counties, pooled by land areaVaries28.2%30.9%40.9%

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

Local help

Adams County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Adams County

Listed radon businesses with an address in Adams County:

Listed radon professionals by town: Hastings

What Nebraska's program says
Phone
(402) 471-1005
Licensing of radon professionals
If radon testing is done in schools, offices, or other places of work, it must be done by a licensed radon measurement business.

What it means

Adams County, Questions

Questions about radon in Adams County

Are radon levels high in Adams County?

In 2023, 66.5% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Adams County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 4.8 pCi/L. Of 33 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 10 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 38.2%.

Which counties border Adams County?

Adams County borders 7 counties: Clay County, Webster County, Kearney County, Hall County, Franklin County, Hamilton County and Buffalo County.

Products

Adams County, Products

Testing a home in Adams County

In Adams County, 66.5% of 155 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 38.2% pooled across Nebraska. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Adams 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

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

Explore

Adams County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Adams County

Calculated by Radon411

Adams County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Adams County

Adams County's population has barely moved since 2020: 31,071 residents on July 1, 2025 against 31,176 then, by the Census Bureau's estimates. That works out to 55 people per square mile of land. Hastings alone is home to 25,121 of them, 80.9% of the total. CDC's 155 reported tests for 2023 work out to 5.0 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nebraska's 5.5.

From Hastings to Prosser, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Adams County's.

The cities and towns in Adams County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Hastings25,121−0.1%80.9%
Kenesaw905Level2.9%
Juniata736−1.5%2.4%
Roseland258−1.1%0.8%
Trumbullextends beyond Adams County200+1.5%Counted whole
Holstein182−2.2%0.6%
Ayr84−3.4%0.3%
Prosser78−1.3%0.3%

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). A place that extends beyond Adams County is counted whole, so it has no share.

Adams County, Homes

Homes in Adams County

Of Adams County's 13,856 homes, 73% are detached houses, against 72% across Nebraska; 9% are in buildings of five or more homes. The homes are older than Nebraska's as a whole: half were built before 1966 (1975 for Nebraska), and 44% date from before 1960. 69% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Nebraska: 67%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.

Homes in Adams County, Nebraska, 2019 to 2023
HomesAdams CountyNebraska
Housing units13,856855,631
Detached houses73%72%
In buildings of 5 or more9%17%
Mobile homes5%3%
Built before 196044%32%
Built since 200014%22%
Middle year built19661975
Owner-occupied69%67%

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