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 Boyd County, Nebraska
EPA puts Boyd County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and only 5 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
61.1%
10.6 pts above NE
- Boyd
- 61.1%
- Nebraska
- 50.5%
54 tests, 2014
Median result
5.8pCi/L
Action level reached
- Boyd
- 5.8 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2014
Tests reported
54
61st of 69 by tests
- Boyd
- 54
- Douglas
- 18,288
Reported to CDC before any fix, 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 Nebraska
25 of 69
Middle half
- Boyd
- 61.1%
- Clay
- 81.6%
By share, of 69 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Boyd County
Starts at Boyd County's median, 5.8 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 5.8 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. Boyd County's median reported result, 2014.
The data
Boyd County, At a glance
Boyd County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential
EPA puts all of Boyd County in
USGS geologic potential: High across 95% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Boyd County, 2023
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 61.1% |
| 2015 | 69.2% |
| 2016 | 85.7% |
| 2017 | 60.0% |
| 2018 | 58.3% |
| 2019 | 66.7% |
| 2020 | 70.0% |
| 2022 | 80.0% |
| 2023 | 100.0% |
2023: 100.0%. Across these years the share ran from 58.3% to 100.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 5 tests were reported to CDC for Boyd 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).
Boyd County, Compared
Boyd County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411More than half: 61.1% of the 54 radon tests reported to CDC for Boyd County in 2014 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 25th of 69 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 10.6 points above the 50.5% pooled from 85 Nebraska counties.
The newest figure, in 2023, counts only 5 tests (100.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 54-test figure.
The median result, 5.8 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 23.0 pCi/L. The rest split 11.1% under 2 pCi/L and 27.8% from 2 to 4 (Nebraska: 23.6% and 25.8%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 61.1% share point the same way here.
No bordering county with a figure for the same period reported a higher share; the closest is Knox County at 56.2%, the lowest Holt County at 51.1%. Statewide for the same period, Clay County reported the highest share (81.6%) and Keith County the lowest (9.1%).
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 54 tests reported; the quietest, 2023, had 5.
Over 4 years of annual figures the share rose 8.9 points, from 61.1% in 2014 to 70.0% in 2020; its peak was 70.0% in 2020. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 34.9%; Boyd County sits 26.2 points above it.
Boyd CountyNebraska, pooled
70.0% % of tests42.2% % of tests
| Year | Tests | Boyd County, at or above 4 pCi/L | Nebraska, pooled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 54 | 61.1% | 50.5% |
| 2015 | 39 | 69.2% | 53.3% |
| 2018 | 36 | 58.3% | 44.5% |
| 2020 | 30 | 70.0% | 42.2% |
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Boyd County, Geology
The ground under Boyd County
PredictedMost of the ground under Boyd County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 95.1% of its land is high radon potential, with 4.9% moderate. The map puts 94.8% of Boyd County in the area it calls Sharon Springs and 4.7% in Pierre Shale. USGS gives the first a radon index of 12, in the high band (12 to 17), and the second 11, in the moderate band (9 to 11).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Springs | Cretaceous Pierre Shale bedrock, including the uranium-bearing Sharon Springs Member. | High | 12 | 94.8% |
| Pierre Shale | Cretaceous marine shale | Moderate | 11 | 4.7% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Boyd County beside the ground around it
Boyd County has more high-potential ground than Nebraska as a whole: 95.1% of its land against 40.9%. Of the 6 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Charles Mix County, SD the most at 99.8%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Boyd County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Boyd County
- Office of Environmental Health Hazards & Indoor AirOffice of Environmental Health Hazards & Indoor Air, run by Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, licenses or certifies radon professionals and offers free or discounted test kits, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Nebraska.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsThe program says:
Some local programs distribute radon kits for free or a reduced cost.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Nebraska116 professionals are listed in Nebraska.
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
Boyd County, Questions
Questions about radon in Boyd County
Are radon levels high in Boyd County?
In 2023, 100.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Boyd County, Nebraska were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 10.0 pCi/L. Of 69 Nebraska counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 24 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 50.5%.
Which counties border Boyd County?
Boyd County borders 6 counties: Holt County, NE, Charles Mix County, SD, Gregory County, SD, Knox County, NE, Rock County, NE and Keya Paha County, NE.
Products
Boyd County, Products
Testing a home in Boyd County
In Boyd County, 61.1% of 54 tests reported to CDC in 2014 reached 4 pCi/L, against 50.5% pooled across Nebraska. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Boyd 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
RM-63Pro rechargeable radon monitor with a touchscreen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Battery
- Alarm
- Screen
Method: Semiconductor sensor
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
Boyd County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Boyd County
Explore
Boyd County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Boyd County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Knox County, NEEPA zone 1
56.2%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.8 pCi/L · 267 tests · 4.9 points below Boyd County
- Radon levels in Holt County, NEEPA zone 3
51.1%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 4.0 pCi/L · 264 tests · 10.0 points below Boyd County
- Radon levels in Rock County, NEEPA zone 3
33.3%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.1 pCi/L · 9 tests · 27.8 points below Boyd County
- Radon levels in Keya Paha County, NEEPA zone 2
20.0%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 3.6 pCi/L · 15 tests · 41.1 points below Boyd County
- Radon levels in Charles Mix County, SDEPA zone 1
No CDC figure for 2014; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
- Radon levels in Gregory County, SDEPA zone 2
No CDC figure for 2014; its page reads it against its own neighbours.
Boyd County, Cities and towns
Cities and towns in Boyd County
Boyd County has been losing residents: from 1,810 in 2020 to 1,674 on July 1, 2025, a fall of 7.5% by the Census Bureau's estimates. Spread over its land, that is 3.1 people to the square mile. Its largest town, Spencer, has 371 residents, 22.2% of the total. Together its 8 incorporated places hold 58.2% of those residents; the other 41.8% live outside any of them. CDC's 54 reported tests for 2014 work out to 32.3 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Nebraska's 28.0.
From Spencer to Monowi, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Boyd County's.
| Place | Residents | Since 2020 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer | 371 | −7.9% | 22.2% |
| Butte | 257 | −6.9% | 15.4% |
| Lynch | 183 | −7.1% | 10.9% |
| Naper | 82 | −7.9% | 4.9% |
| Bristow | 69 | −8.0% | 4.1% |
| Anoka | 9 | −10.0% | 0.5% |
| Gross | 3 | Level | 0.2% |
| Monowi | 1 | Level | Under 0.1% |
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).
Boyd County, Homes
Homes in Boyd County
Boyd County is a place of houses on their own lots: 85% of its 1,199 homes are detached single-family houses, against 72% across Nebraska. The homes are older than Nebraska's as a whole: half were built before 1950 (1975 for Nebraska), and 60% date from before 1960. Owners live in 83% of the occupied homes (Nebraska: 67%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.
| Homes | Boyd County | Nebraska |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 1,199 | 855,631 |
| Detached houses | 85% | 72% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 1% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 13% | 3% |
| Built before 1960 | 60% | 32% |
| Built since 2000 | 3% | 22% |
| Middle year built | 1950 | 1975 |
| Owner-occupied | 83% | 67% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.